...I think that the unit we call the family is nowadays falling between two stools. Just as saying that the family is breaking down and there is nothing more than the “I”, does not mean that one can instantly stand independently tall and proud; so too saying that the family unit still remains secure overall and is sufficiently fulfilling its functions does not guarantee one a place in its warm embrace...The House in Okayama is a diagram of the situation in which the “I” has clearly gained the upper hand in this contest...[The site is surrounded by a galvanized steel fence, so that the outside is completely shut out. That which is connected to the exterior are the individual rooms only.] The scheme is such that the common space of the family can only be reached by passing through the individual rooms. The unit of the individual here takes precedence over the unit of the family. This is probably the most extreme diagram of family in which the “I” takes the precedence that is imaginable at the present moment... (Riken Yamamoto, “Shinkenchiku Jutaku-Tokushu”, Jan. 1993)
		House in Okayama (1988-1992) location: Okayama, Okayama Prefecture principal use: private residence site area: 507.33m2 building area: 166.37m2 total floor area: 166.37m2 structure: wood, partly steel frame; 1 story maximum height: 6,180mm architects: Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop structural engineers: SIGLO Associates mechanical engineers: DAN Engineering general contractors: Hashimoto Kosan completion date: November, 1992 next back top