REDEFINING PRAIRIE-STYLE KACHITEI house is a Prairie-Style residence by Arata Endo (disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright) in 1928 near Tokyo, registered as tangible cultural property of Japan. KAMIYA ARCHITECTS took on the opportunity for the renovation of the house into a residential hotel. Our scope of the project was to create contemporary design while respecting historical heritage, at the same time taking the chance to re-define the historic architectural value and integrate them with modern living situation. Basement Spa: Due to the regulation of the Japanese tangible cultural property, the Maiden room is one of the few areas which can be redesign more thoroughly. Spa culture is particular in traditional Japanese daily routine as it is alive in the modern-day, therefore We decided to take the opportunity to transform this backspace into an atrium-like spa area. In the upper portion of the double-height area, existing structural beams and interior surface are completely preserved, as well as becoming the feature element of this space. Prairie-Style as a communication tool: We decided to open the flying porch into outdoor terrace. As the stone column in the terrace can become the barrier between conversation, taking advantage of the irregular layout pattern of Prairie-Style to form the geometry of the wooden sitting bench surrounding fireplace is our strategy. Furniture Design: We designed new furniture, utilizing the hexagon and triangle geometry of Prairie-Style, and anticipating the interaction of new furniture with modern lifestyle. Furthermore, the hexagon table and triangle chairs also have the flexibility to fit in a different type of conditions and combination, which made the new furniture design very versatile. -Innovation, Creativity, Functionality- CREATIVE PRESERVATION We see that some of the original Prairie-Style building's design element does not fit with modern life as in the 20th century. We believe that continuing the spirit and ideology of Prairie-Style is more crucial than just preserving the original design. Therefore, KAMIYA ARCHITECTS challenged to create new designs during the renovation process of KACHITEI, respecting the original spirit. We call this attitude on the preservation of historical heritages "CREATIVE PRESERVATION." "CREATIVE PRESERVATION" was expressed in 3 ways areas in KACHITEI. Respect and preserve the original design to the maximum extend. Some area must remain untouched according to restriction and regulation depending on the local authority. Our job is to restore the original image as it was with modern methods. 2. Integrate existing design elements with contemporary design ideology. We do not want to replicate the original design but create a new design that inherits the Wright spirit through our understanding. For example, the original design of furniture appears to be used for more formal and solemn events. Bearing in mind that the form of social gathering today tends to be more casual and entertaining, for the replacement, flexible and playful furniture was created for the new space, with the core design element of Prairie-Style, the signature hexagon geometry. 3. Preserving creativity but redefining Prairie-Style in a contemporary approach. This approach is more aggressive toward the original design idea. As we have known, Prairie-Style is a 20th-century American architecture style, some functions of the building are not compatible with modern Japanese daily life. Therefore, we try to integrate local Japanese culture and make a distinctive difference compared to other renovations. This approach is not to challenge the existing style but redefine how historic architecture performs for the specific culture and era. The Maiden room's renovation is one example of how we understand the integration between local modern culture with historical architecture value. Considering the rebirth project's purpose is to give a new life and better architecture performance in the modern-day. At the same time, people can study and enjoy its historical value. Also, we believe that preserving creativity and philosophy is more critical than continuing the historic building's esthetic value. Hence "Creative Preservation" is the preservation attitude we had during the KACHITEI. -Sustainability- Sustainability through architecture preservation is, of course, important from an environmental viewpoint, because using the existing building for a longer time via preservation produces less waste than rebuilding it. Sustainability in this project, however, is also significant from a historical and cultural perspective, considering that Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Style is one of the most influential design philosophies in the early 20th century. Therefore, KAMIYA ARCHITECTS decided to take up this opportunity to preserve this Prairie-Style building built in the Japan Tokyo region in 1928 by one of the Wright disciplines, Arata Endo. Since there were many Prairie-Style architectures throughout the world, renovations have already completed by other practices. From our point of view, most preservation approaches are the replicate of Prairie-style image and composition. The other extreme is directly combining with modern design elements or furniture. -Inclusivity- We believe that the role of architecture for inclusivity is to design space or tools which promote communication without excluding anyone. KACHITEI is redesigned to achieve this goal while taking the advantage of Prairie-Style. One example is the outdoor terrace. The two stone block columns, the main feature element for the terrace area, can become the barrier between conversations. Therefore, we take an approach to take the advantage of the irregular layout pattern of Prairie-Style to form the geometry of the sitting bench. Not only do we add the playfulness and communicativeness of the space, but the design can also harmony with the Historic Prairie-Style house. Using a well-crafted wooden block gives the design a sense of warmness and nature, and the fireplace can maintain the outdoor temperature to the proper level and provide the possibility for long-time conversation despite the seasonal change. Newly designed furniture with Prairie-Style hexagon and triangle geometry is another practice. The tables and chairs have the flexibility to fit in different types of conditions and combinations, which provides smooth and equal communication opportunities for any kind of group of guests, ranging from communicating in one large group, or close communication for small groups.