A 90-Year-Old Japanese Home Reimagined in Silver
This project transforms a vacant 90-year-old wooden house in a depopulating fishing village in southern Japan into a contemporary residence and a semi-public gathering space. Designed for a chef who relocated from the city, it responds to a desire to “live, work, and connect” with the local community—offering a new model for life rooted in place yet open to interaction.
Innovation : Rather than restoring the traditional house in a conventional manner, the project introduces a bold architectural gesture: wrapping the entire structure in silver galvanized steel. This approach symbolizes coexistence between preservation and transformation. Referencing metallic fish crates at the local port and the silvery sheen of sardines, the material reinterprets the fishing village’s cultural identity through contemporary architecture, turning the house into a spatial narrative device.
Functionality : The house merges private living quarters with a flexible semi-public space. The former doma—an earthen-floored kitchen and entryway—was reimagined as a continuous tile and mortar floor where cooking, hosting, and informal interaction can take place. Level transitions are minimized, and visual openness is prioritized, creating a welcoming and accessible environment for users of all ages.
Creativity : Instead of altering the structure or floor plan dramatically, the design layers new meaning through materials and spatial reinterpretation. The exposed wooden frame is preserved, while a new metal skin overlays it—creating a visible dialogue between old and new. As a result, the house becomes both a familiar part of the local landscape and an unexpected sculptural presence that provokes curiosity and reflection.
Eco-Social Impact : By reusing the existing structure instead of demolishing and rebuilding, the project significantly reduces construction waste and embodied carbon. At the same time, it reactivates a once-abandoned home as a place for social exchange—helping to reweave connections in a community facing depopulation. The space is inclusive, multigenerational, and open to spontaneous gathering.
Renewable Resources : The original timber structure is largely retained, with reinforcement kept to a minimum. Locally sourced materials and reused tiles were employed where possible, and passive environmental strategies—such as natural ventilation and solar shading—were integrated to minimize operational energy. While a full LCA was not conducted, the reuse-first approach ensures a markedly lower carbon footprint than new construction.
Rather than standing as a relic of the past, this architecture lives in the present while holding space for the future. It embodies a new role for rural architecture—one that participates in the evolving narrative of place through sensitivity, reinvention, and poetic restraint.
House of Local Spirits
Atelier Salad
Gold

1 / 16

Peter Greenberg
Partner
at Ester Bruzkus Architekten
It is perhaps not a new idea to put...
9
9
9.5
8.5
9

Paolo Torri
Exhibition Design Manager
at Pedrali
9
9
9
9.5
9.13

Ethan Yao
China Resources Land
at Deputy General Manager and Chief Architect of Design Management
8.5
7.5
8
8
8

Clemence Pirajean
Cofounder
at Pirajean Lees
8.5
9
9
8.5
8.75

Ray Chou
Founder and Creative Director
at Vermilion Zhou Design Group
9
9
9
9
9
Vandana Dhawan Saxena
Founder and Design Principal
at Studio IV Designs
8.5
8.5
8.5
9
8.63

Ali Mohammadioun
Founder
at E plus A Atelier
8.5
9
8.5
9
8.75

Paul Birkhead
Cofounder and Creative Director
at Syn Retail
7.5
8
8
7.5
7.75

Ina Nikolova
Partner & Senior Project Manager
at Kinzo Architekten
8.5
9
8.5
8.5
8.63

Alexandra Cantacuzene
Director of Interior Design
at Al Futtaim Real Estate Group
7.5
7.5
7.5
8
7.63
Designer
Client
Private
Floor area
88 ㎡
Completion
2025
Lighting