Long House with an Engawa
by Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop
Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan
Project details
Year
2024
Project year
2022
Building area
493,30 m²
project website
Location
Team credits
Architects
- Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop -
Kentaro Yamazaki,
Yuri Kawashima,
Kenji Nakamura,
Hisato Nakamura.
Contributing partners
Shuji Tada Structural Design,
Yamada Machinery Office,
BONBORI Lighting Architect & Associates,
Inada Landscape Design Office.
Commissioned by
ALL FOR ONE
This welfare facility for the elderly, inspired by the traditional Japanese porch, or engawa, serves as a community-based day service that fosters mutual support among local residents. Client Hidekazu Ishii adopts a caregiving approach that enables individuals to lead normal lives, even those with conditions like dementia.
Designed as an architectural representation of a small town, the facility includes a café, temple lodging, day service and a public bath. In order for the facility to integrate gradually into the community, the garden pond and bamboo fence were created with the cooperation of local residents. A lively workshop offered a glimpse of how people from all walks of life might share their time in this place. The architecture is reminiscent of a bridge embedded in its natural environment. The people sitting on the porch enjoying their onigiri (rice balls) are a reminder of what modern Japan has lost.
Through clear spatial configuration and meticulous design, the team aimed to create a symbolic form that establishes a foundation for local welfare and spaces where individuals can feel a sense of belonging. Despite the challenges of a long, narrow site restricted by building regulations, the designers opted for a 2.5-ken (4.55 m) wide floor in a straight line; the main wooden structure, the long engawa-style deck and the wide space under the roof embody the concept beautifully.
To balance the monumental structure, small walls and volumes provide human-scale spaces. Attention to the design of boundaries, particularly the windows, allowing people to spend time with others even if they are by themselves.
Yamakazi Kentaro Design Workshop collaborated with Shuji Tada Structural Design, Yamada Machinery Office, BONBORI Lighting Architect & Associates, and Inada Landscape Design Office on this project. The design workshop challenges the notion of architecture as a self-contained object, focusing on creating inclusive spaces that integrate into the lives of diverse community members.
As part of their approach to gradually adapting the architecture to the local community, the designers worked with residents to shape the landscape, including the garden’s pond and bamboo fence. While there is often a demand for welfare facilities that are ‘open to the community’, achieving this can be challenging. Without a reliable neighbourhood, opening a welfare building to the public may pose risks and be perceived as an imposition.
To address this issue, the project continues to engage locals through gardening workshops and other activities, fostering an environment where everyone feels welcome and can build a community based on trust. It is hoped that the facility will become a supportive space for single-parent families in need, as well as for children who are not attending school. In this setting, individuals acknowledge one another and share the veranda, nurturing a sense of belonging. The goal is to establish this place as a regional hub where people can live with peace of mind – something that cannot be accomplished solely through a conventional welfare system.
In creating a welfare centre that is deeply rooted in the community and its people, an alternative attitude is required, one that replaces the traditional role of the designer, who typically designs architecture as a sole planner and merely provides it to the community.
Japan is recognized as a developed country with a complex welfare system tailored to individual needs. However, this vertically divided system often isolates users by age and assistance level, limiting their daily interactions. This project proposes an architectural approach inspired by the traditional engawa, creating a space for diverse community members to connect and support each other, fostering a shared environment that addresses societal challenges over time.
The prize money will be used to renovate a house on the same plot into a multifunctional small long-term care center and to expand the capacity of the Long House to purify dirty water, accommodating up to 90 people a day.
- Information for the project text was provided by Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop -
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Advisory Committee Statement
The ‘Long House with an Engawa’ receives the award for Social Architecture for its innovative approach to elderly care, addressing the urgent issue of an aging society and mental health. This project, reminiscent of a bridge embedded in its natural environment, introduces a new typology that fosters intergenerational support and community integration. Praised for its simplicity and materiality, the architecture facilitates mutual care and connection with an unpretentious architectural language. Its adaptable straightforward design, resembling a traditional Japanese porch, offers a replicable model for addressing societal an aging society, creating a welcoming and protective space that embodies the essence of social architecture.