Takeshi Hirobe’s Japanese villa is a reflection of the Minamiboso hills

Overlooking a splendid view—blues of the Pacific Ocean and the sky melting into it—Villa MKZ by Takeshi Hirobe Architects is located in the city of Minamibōsō in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Surrounded by water on three sides—the Pacific Ocean in the east and south, and the entrance to Tokyo Bay on the west—Minamiboso has a maritime climate, establishing its strong association with the ocean. Mountain ranges with an elevation of over 300m, such as Mount Atago and Mount Tomi, define the hilly landscape of the city. The villa design embodies the context it is set in, emulating the mountain ranges in its form. The expansive fenestrations opening into the ocean welcome it inside, thus blurring the boundaries of the built and the unbuilt. The project is located on a particularly challenging site, and with the client’s requirement for the structure to weave around the challenging site conditions, it became necessary for the Japanese architecture firm to create collaboratively with the constraints. The project draws from the style of organic architecture, which does not command nature to bend to the designer’s will but instead finds a place for itself without changing the context it is set in.

While the site has a spectacular view of the ocean, it also has an elevation difference of 1.4m in its centre, around an outcropping of bedrock and an unbuildable area cutting into the property on the street side. These restrictions, along with the clients’ need to leave the site unaltered, resulted in a form that dances, adjusts and makes space for itself. “For our initial proposal, we explored quite a wide range of possibilities. However, we had a strong sense that the site footprint was not suited to the sort of design in which a powerful form unifies the whole structure. We therefore gradually adopted a more flexible approach,” the architecture firm's founder Takeshi Hirobe tells STIR. It was thus avoided to limit the structure by a predefined form and a continuously evolving nature of spaces was favoured.

Hirobe associates architecture with music. The Japanese architect is of the belief that a building moves in the same way music does. “Of course it’s not the actual structure that moves. That structure is firmly fixed to the earth, but as the earth itself moves over the course of one day, different kinds of light flood in, and as the seasons progress, other changes also occur. As we spend time inside the building, we are able to sense those changes, and we are reminded that we, too, are a part of the earth. I feel this sense of the earth and our place on it is extremely important if we are to reside with dignity in a given space,” he observes. This project became an exploration of the same philosophy. The large fenestrations that welcome the climate and the scenic views of the ocean reflect Hirobe’s understanding of architecture, as these greatly influence the spaces and the ambience. The changing climate directly impacts the interior atmosphere, deepening the users’ affinity with their environment.

The parallels of architecture and music drawn by the architect are further revealed as he takes inspiration for his 'modal planning' approach from Modal Jazz. Modal Jazz departs from traditional jazz styles through modes instead of complex chord progressions. This simplified process allows for more freedom to improvise. The architect explains, “Modal Planning refers to a method of exploring possibilities that rests on the freedom to jump from key to key instead of playing the melody mostly in a single key. In this project, by manipulating the complexity of a series of free-plan triangles, we attempted to freely alter parameters such as the relationship to the landscape, the size of rooms, and their spatial volume. Our aim was to create a natural sense of scale in the interior and an affinity between the architecture and the site. The goal is to make each necessary space 'just right.' For example, in this project, we expanded the kitchen/dining area during planning. We also “pinched” the roof to add height and create spatial dynamism. The resulting relaxed atmosphere was another outcome of modal planning.” Varying polygonal columns and bearing walls support the roof slabs, accentuating the triangular forms of the footprint. Interior air volume requirements determined the rhythm of the slabs and the volumes of the spaces they enclose. Rooms facing the sea connect to one another, twisting to the east and west to create a sequence of spaces.

The choice of materials, as per Hirobe, is drawn from the client's brief. “Because this was intended as a second home on a site facing the sea,” he tells STIR, “the client wanted a resort-like warmth. That influenced our decision to compose the spaces from natural or close-to-natural materials such as wood, stone, concrete, and painted walls. We used Japanese cedar formwork to leave a noticeable wood-grain impression in the concrete, and added raised joints. In addition, where interior insulation is used, we finished the structural components with grey wainscoting. We wanted to clearly divide structural elements from furnishings and cabinetry.” The linear patterns inside the home provide a visual flow to the spaces, adding a sense of dynamicity. The fragmented wooden panels on the ceilings, with the pinched roof, create an effect of multiple spaces within a single volume.

The villa’s architecture blends into the rising silhouette of the mountainous backdrop. The house opens up to an expansive ocean view while not having much visual connectivity to the roadside. This leads to having minimal visual access to the spaces that are indicative of being connected to society, resulting in a riveting dichotomy of openness and privacy. The roof is fragmented into multiple parts, the pattern of which acts cohesively to give one-ness to the entire structure. The architects consciously designed the roof slabs to have a substantial overhang so they act as eaves to shelter the windows and doors below them.

The structure connects to its context, welcoming the outdoors into its spaces. The architecture facilitates a conversation, an understanding between the structure and the site. The project becomes an instrument of natural experience for the inhabitants when they leave their homes to spend some time at this vacation home.

Project Details

Name: Villa MKZ
Location: Minamiboso City, Chiba, Japan
Area: 1254.11 sqm
Year of completion: 2021
Architect: Takeshi Hirobe - Takeshi Hirobe Architects
Structural engineer: Akira Ouchi / S.FORM
General contractor: Kataokaken engineering firm