Japanese Architecture firm Yoshichika Takagi + Associates has completed the renovation of a rural 1970s-era home into the two-family deformed roof house. Housings such as these which are called “Deformed Roof” houses, can be seen often in Hokkaido, but is difficult to call them beautiful, and cannot be seen out of Hokkaido. It could be said as a vernacular and anonymous kind of design.
Looking back on the modern history of “Minka” in Hokkaido, the style of “Triangular Roof” houses was established in the period of 1950’s~1960’s. The period of “Deformed Roof” houses followed that, and lasted for about 10 years after the 1960’s. When researching about the reasons of the style change, it is possible to assume by circumstantial evidence, but cannot reach the most important point, which is the motive.
Considering from a different point of view, such as human history, it can be outlined by saying that it is mannerism, which is defined as a divergence from the legitimate style, and a concept that humans repeat historically, rather than a “concept of an independent style”, such as Renaissance style. Like the relationship between modern and post-modern in history, to place “Deformed Roof” houses towards “Triangular Roof” houses would not be so inexplicable. The base of this plan was to pass this “Deformed Roof” house, which can be said as a conceit in Hokkaido “Minka” history, down to the next generation.
The house was renovated so that the parent household would be on the 1st floor and the child household on the 2nd floor, and also extension was done to fulfill the necessary rooms. Since insulation improvement and structural reinforcement was also required, the house was disassembled to its’ frames, and was extended for 1 “ken (a Japanese unit, 1 ken=1,820mm)” on the gable end, tracing the form of the deformed roof.
The extended part softly connects the parent household and child household, and also functions as a share unit with an agricultural greenhouse-like nature, possessing features of a terrace, windbreak room, and an all-access area. It is also a “doma (dirt floor)”, which is essential for farmer households in Japan, and is also a cross-section space for work and living.
