NICO — A Home Filled with Natural Light and the Scent of Wood｜YIA Ishiue Yoshihiro Architectural Design Office

The site is situated on a corner lot within an established residential neighborhood. The clients sought a newly built dwelling that would admit abundant sunlight and feel bright throughout. In response, we proposed a composition that sandwiches and encloses a generous courtyard between two gable-form volumes. To secure privacy from the exterior while admitting natural light through the openings, large apertures are oriented toward the enclosed courtyard. A skylight placed in the ceiling of the stairwell atrium, laid out on the north side, allows soft daylight to permeate the interior spaces.

The gable roof is adopted as a symbolic form to reinforce the sense of family members inhabiting a single, shared space; this roof type also harmonizes with the existing streetscape of the older neighborhood. Internally, all areas except private rooms are treated as a continuous, unified space. To avoid monotony in that continuity, variations are introduced through differing textures. These material shifts produce distinct spatial qualities within each area, continually generating fresh scenes.

The atrium windows facing the courtyard eliminate the need for curtains in daily life, ensuring reliable southern daylighting deep into the interior. This is a house designed to live with nature, embracing light and greenery drawn in from the courtyard.

Building Overview

Principal use: Residence
Location: Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Structure: Timber, 2-storey
Site area: 206.76 m²
Total floor area: 166.33 m²
Construction: Fuji Zokei Co., Ltd.
Structural design: Kataoka Structural Design
Furniture: Original design by YIA
Kitchen: Custom stainless-steel kitchen by Yamada

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