Why the window is where it is
A window is a decision about what to look at and when. Four windows from one house, and the reasons for each...
Nobody notices a window that is in the right place. Everyone notices one that is not. So here are four that are, and why.
The kitchen window
Low and long, at the height of the worktop, facing the garden. You look at the garden while you cook, and you do not look at the neighbour's fence, which is one metre higher than the frame.
The stair window
Tall and narrow, north-facing, no view at all. It is there for the light, which falls down the stair all day without ever being sun.
The bedroom window
East, and small. Morning light, and no more of it than you want at six.
The one that is not there
The south wall of the living room has no window, because the south is the lane. The room takes its light from the roof instead, and it is the brightest room in the house.
Revised in August with the roof light, which was added after this was first written.
One building a month, by email
A photograph, the plan, and the reason. Nothing else.
Hana Sato
Architect and one of the four partners. Writes most of what appears here and draws the plans with no furniture on them.
Folio
An architecture and interiors journal: houses, rooms, materials, and the reasons behind them.
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