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Hazamacho House: A Building Tailored Toward What Farmers Need
Hazamacho House provides a template for how we can approach the creation of buildings in the future. Instead of simply transplanting urban buildings to rural settings, we need to design rural buildings that adapt to the specific needs of the local population.
Hazamacho House was created and designed by Tatsuya Kawamoto + Associates in Japan, specifically created as a way for farmers to navigate agricultural spaces. Even if it’s a house with a kitchen and bedrooms, it was crafted to be adaptable to farming needs. From planting to harvesting, from resting to working, this house resonates as a sizable, usable space for every aspect of farming.
Rural Buildings for Rural Spaces
The space itself is relatively small, especially as it is surrounded by farmlands from at least two sides. The owner of Hazamacho House wanted a cheap building that wasn’t overly-large akin to urban areas and houses.
Tatsuya Kawamoto + Associates solved this problem with a unique design for the home. It utilizes a giant rectangular roof seemingly twists and folds in the middle, creating large spaces between the ceiling and the roof’s frame. Structural walls compactly arranged in the center leave the outer perimeter open and accessible from the surrounding fields.
The roof’s shape, creates additional work spaces for farmers to use under the cantilevered eaves. This effectively provides shade and protection from the outside, and creates designated areas for the farmers to store and dry harvested crops.
A Framework for Farmers
The space itself contains three bedrooms, two lavatories, and a giant living space with a kitchen, which makes up most of the home. This makes use of the vast ceilings in order to maximize the panoramic views of the surrounding farmlands. More than that, sliding glass doors seamlessly integrate the indoors with the outdoors, providing easy access and interaction between the two.
Beyond being a useful home for farmers working the land, Hazamacho House has a significant amount of space for storage close to the entrance so farmers can quickly get their things when needed. It also has a sink and a lavatory just as you enter the house, making cleaning up easy and convenient after a day’s work in the sun.
Despite just being under 200 square meters, the house provides ample space for the farmers to work and unwind under one roof. It provides a closeness that offices don’t typically have, allowing farmers to focus on the fields without having to commute far to store things and rest.
The inventive thing about architecture is how it can meet the needs of the situation—there’s never a one-size-fits-all solution. What works in urban spaces doesn’t necessarily work in rural areas; you have to adapt. All in all, Hazamacho House provides a framework for how farming and housing can be a convenient space for everyone involved.
Related reading: Farming, heritage, and communities: How communities within heritage sites have been since COVID-19
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