translucent warehouse by arii irie architects doubles as villa in isumi

Located in Isumi, a town on the eastern edge of Japan’s Boso Peninsula, the oddly titled Warehouse Villa arose as an unusual request received by Arii Irie Architects from an owner of a restaurant business. While essentially designed to store furniture and cooking appliances inherited from the family business, the client also envisioned using the industrial building as a vacation house for hosting his relatives and friends. The resulting architecture unfolds as an incredibly spacious, two-story hub with a translucent shell that visually aligns with its surrounding site; a low-density half-farm, half-residential area with rich peripheral trees that protect from the strong wind rising from the Pacific Ocean.

Warehouse Villa in Isumi | all images © Kai Nakamura

While what was to be stored inside did not require any temperature or humidity control, the Warehouse Villa in Isumi still needed to be protected from heavy rain and wind. In line with those conditions, the team at Arii Irie Architects proposed enlarging the primitive shelter as much as possible ‘to make a piece of architecture purely from an outer skin.’ The skin consists of a 0.5-millimeter-thick corrugated metal sheet and corrugated polycarbonate with the same profile. No glass or manufactured sashes are used, and all windows and doors were custom-made. Together with the large sliding doors and the horizontal and vertical swinging doors designed to reflect natural light while open are a set of mosquito net curtains which can be closed via Velcro.

Inside this spacious outer skin of the Warehouse Villa, the owner can also set up a tent or even an additional shed if necessary. ‘The aim was to create a naturally changing wholesome atmosphere where the inhabitants respond to the environment, finding the joy in spending time close to nature,’ concludes Arii Irie Architects.

the skin consists of a 0.5mm-thick corrugated metal sheet & polycarbonate with the same profile

creating a durable facade to protect from wind and rain

the interiors are essentially designed to store restaurant furniture & cooking appliances

a two-story hub that also doubles as a vacation villa