The Great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 damaged over a million buildings in northeastern Japan. A century-old storehouse that barely survived has been redesigned into this gorgeous home — the Rebirth House, a symbol of both great architecture, and resilience.
Ryo Matsui Architects, the firm behind the project, finished reconstruction on the Ibaraki prefecture-based home last September. The firm used materials from the original 120-year-old storehouse that was damaged by the tsunami.
The storehouse’s traditional kirizuma-tiled roof was left intact, but there are brand new walls with a perforated treatment, which resembles white lace. The treatment gives visitors a glimpse of the double facade’s hidden windows at night, when indoor lights illuminate them. The basement contains a slick wine cellar, and the kitchen opens up into a traditional Japanese garden.
While the structure from the original storehouse were deemed beyond damage to use, the incorporated materials mixed with the new ones result in a really cool space that straddles both traditional and contemporary Japanese design sense.
Even though it’s gorgeous on its own, the Rebirth House is also a symbol of beauty and bouncing back in the face of devastation.
[Ryo Matsui Architects, Inc. via Spoon & Tamago, Architectural Review and Dezeen]
All images via Ryo Matsui and used with permission