Terasho House by ALTS Design Offce in Shiga, Japan

Project: Terasho House
Architects: ALTS Design Office
Location: Kounan, Terasho, Koka, Shiga, Japan
Area: 4,843 sf (lot), 1,496 (floor)
Photographs by: Kenta Kawamura

Terasho House by ALTS Design Offce

The Terasho House is a project designed by ALTS Design Office in the Shiga prefecture of Japan. It is a Japanese craftsman residence built on a land among lots with traditional houses and to its north it faces beautiful farm fields. The design aims to create an outdoor-like space of the building’s interior in order to strengthen the connection to the natural surroundings. Its goal is to create a calming atmosphere that will feel like the comfort of the outdoors even though you’re inside the house.

We engaged in designing a house of a plaster craftsman to be built on a land facing an alley along which traditional houses stand.
You would be impressed with the beauty of nature found in farms spreading in the north side of the land. Meanwhile, the land is adjacent to the alley in its south, along which houses stand.
We planned to create inside the building an outdoor-like space that would smoothly fuse with the rural scenery in the north of the land.
You would enjoy the comfort of the outdoors no matter where you are in the house, which has a relieving and calming atmosphere.
A spot garden in the Japanese style room is connected with the terrace outside via a piece of glass, and the interior and the exterior are nested together. Also, a tiled floor extending from the entrance will produce an even more outdoor-like atmosphere.

In the living room with the kitchen located in its center, you would feel as if you were enjoying cooking outdoors because there is a window about six meters long that can be fully opened.
On the terrace outside the window that can be fully opened, the sunlight is moderately weakened and you will notice a breeze blowing.
By setting up a space that would make you aware of the outdoors no matter where in the house you might be, we were able to create a natural and comfortable living environment.
We repeatedly discussed the finish and texture of the inner wall, the outer wall and the floor at each phase of the construction process with the client, who is a plaster craftsman, and finished those with great care.

We were able to complete the house with the client, not on the basis of a design drawing completed 100%, but with the help of the clues we found in the process of house making. We will never forget this experience.

-Project description and photographs provided by ALTS Design Office