Karuizawa House, Home of Maple Leaves, Nagano Prefecture Residential Design, Japanese Architect

Karuizawa Residence: House of Maple Leaves

New Japanese Home design in Nagano Prefecture by Edward Suzuki Associates, Japan

26 Jun 2012

House in Karuizawa Award News

Edward Suzuki Associates wins “Green GOOD DESIGN Award 2012” by Chicago Athenaeum Architecture and Design Museum for House of Maple Leaves in Karuizawa.

21 May 2012

House of Maple Leaves

Location: Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Design: Edward Suzuki Associates

photo : Yasuhiro Nukamura, from Edward Suzuki Associates

This is a villa situated about an hour’s rapid train ride from Tokyo in a mountain resort of Karuizawa, Japan. It is basically a wooden structure with the peripheral balconies in steel. The design is adapted from passive energy principles applied in the world-famous Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. The only artificially operated system is the radiant hot-water heating embedded in the floor, running the entire length of the peripheral fenestration with heat pump air conditioning units as supplements just in case.

photos : Yasuhiro Nukamura, from Edward Suzuki Associates

Legal and binding design guidelines in the area required a roof slope of 1:5 minimum, eave length of 5oo mm minimum, and a limited selection of exterior coloring.

photos : Yasuhiro Nukamura, from Edward Suzuki Associates

Natural passive energy means include but are not limited to the following:

1) exterior insulation with
2) air circulation paths in between exterior and interior finishes
3) cross ventilation under the ground floor to protect against humidity
4) overall cross ventilation with openable windows
5) complete fenestration on the south with
6) airtight, high-insulation composite sash with
7) double-pane glass
8) allowing low winter sun penetration and blocking high summer sun
9) use of deciduous trees in the south similarly allowing low winter sun penetration and blocking high summer sun
10) extended eaves to provide shade
11) double floor living space to act as passive solar collector
12) fireplace in the living space to burn trash
13) ceiling fans to circulate warm air
14) highly insulating natural Japanese stucco (with embedded maple leaves)
15) use of laminated bamboo instead of wood for floors, built-in furniture, cabinets, doors, and closets, as bamboo is very fast-growing (and hence more ecological than wood) and profusely abundant in Japan)
16) use of fluorescent and LED lights
17) corrugated metal exterior finish for easy maintenance and sustainability
18) reflective silver roofing for insulation and temperature control

photos : Yasuhiro Nukamura, from Edward Suzuki Associates

House of Maple Leaves, Karuizawa House – Building Information

Location: Karuizawa, Japan
Design Period: Apr – Nov 2009
Construction Period: Dec 2009 – Nov 2010
Structure: Wood Frame (SE)
Site Area: 6182.97m2
Ground Coverage: 512.00m2
Floor Areas: 1F 402.50m2, 2F 274.75m2
Total Floor Area: 677.25m2

photo : Yasuhiro Nukamura, from Edward Suzuki Associates