Villa K2, Okuike, Ashiya

High in the hills above Kobe this two generation home was designed for daylight and privacy. Big south facing windows bring in the sun and small bay windows to the east ensure the neighbor is unnoticed. This is a Western style house but at the end of a curving tatami floored passage there is a discrete Japanese room for practicing the art of tea. Being in a National Park the mature trees had to remain and so the house had to find it’s own space – swimming between and around them. At 600m above sea level the summers are pleasant but double glazing and heavy insulation are necessary for a comfortable winter season.