Description:

The engawa, a transitional space between indoors and out, nurtures calm, contemplation, and togetherness. When asked to design a family home on a coastal site, our focus was on creating a dwelling that supported daily rituals, seasonal shifts, and intergenerational connection. In contrast to high-density models, this home prioritises inward focus and outward awareness—blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior life, and fostering the family unit. The design encourages slowness, awareness of weather and time, and respect for the environment through sustainable, passive strategies and material honesty.

The design is grounded in a series of layered thresholds: from street to garden, garden to engawa, and engawa to home. A multi zone, low-lying form nestles into the land, gently stepping with the site’s natural contours. Living, sleeping, and service zones are oriented around a central courtyard and the engawa that encircles it—giving each space access to light, landscape, and movement. The engawa serves not just as a circulation space, but as a place to pause, reflect, and gather. By considering the thresholds and overlaps between spaces, we created a layout that respects privacy, enables daily connection, and maintains constant dialogue with the outdoors.

At the heart of the concept is the engawa—not just as an architectural device but as a social and cultural one. This edge space is neither entirely inside nor out, making it ideal for everything from entertaining and play to quiet reading at dusk. The architecture is understated and warm, drawing on Japanese and New Zealand vernaculars: deep eaves, low horizontal lines, and a palette of natural materials. Views are framed deliberately—toward trees, sky, and water—with glazed sliding doors and screens that open entire rooms to the garden. Creativity comes through restraint: spatial richness is achieved not through decoration, but through proportion, light, texture, and the way spaces relate.