The renovation of this structure, some 100 years old, was a trial to take up heritage wooden construction culture and proactively participate in the townscape, rather than building for my own purely personal purposes.

First, I highlighted the social nature of the building and proposed the revitalization of community by changing the function of the building to an architect's office with a gallery. The intention here was to exhibit the conservation of wooden construction technology and a distinct method of renovation.

The method used the building's existing identity as warp and new elements as woof, and as a result produced a space which is a blend of old and new. I hoped that the space could serve as place such that people walking by on the street would come in and become interested in wooden construction, and as a device to recall memories which lie in common within us.
This architecture was registered as a tangible cultural property in September 2000.

Exterior appearance before the renovation
A part of the ground level structure was
taken down during the renovation.

The back of the main entrance. Looking at the building from the garden

The tea room on the ground floor. The room features tatami mats (three mats) and a wooden floor. The concrete block wall on one side of the tea room extends beyond the building to form a long exterior garden wall.

The main entrance. The contrast between the old parts (wooden framework, pillars and beams which tell us the history) and the new parts (renovated floor and a concrete block wall)