If you love architecture or design history, this new Japanese hotel is the perfect place to stay while exploring Tokyo. KAMIYA ARCHITECTS has recently completed a renovation of Hayami Kachi house, a Prairie-style home designed by Arata Endo, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Prairie style is considered to be the first-ever American style of architecture and can be found throughout the U.S. and in scattered buildings around the world.
Before KAMIYA ARCHITECTS’ renovation, the home had fallen into disrepair since its original construction in 1928. As an adaptive reuse project was planned, the designers had to balance the initial design intention with the modern requirements of a hotel or short-term rental property. They also wanted to include elements of a traditional Japanese spa.
The main transformation occurred in the maiden room where the architects had more freedom to adapt the original design and furniture. They converted the space into a spa area that contrasts the warm historic spaces with a cooler palette and sleek modern materials. “We intended to establish the connection between contemporary architecture and historic element and provide the timeless and playful experience for the visitors of the maiden room,” says KAMIYA ARCHITECTS. “Historic structural beams are turned into the feature of vertical space, pre-existed interior will be preserved and exposed as the ceiling of this area.” These preserved historic beams are the connectors between the contrasting warm and cool spaces.
Aside from this main “new” space, the architects also created smaller adjustments throughout the home. They highlighted the natural beauty of the site by opening up the outdoor terrace space to better connect the interior to the outside world. All new furniture was carefully designed to blend in and respect the historic home. The asymmetry and planned randomness of design elements help to align the manmade structure with the qualities of nature—a concept that is important in Prairie-style architecture. All of these ideas make the new and improved Hayami Kachi house a great adaptive reuse project and the perfect place for an architecture getaway in Tokyo.
KAMIYA ARCHITECTS transformed a Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie-style villa into a beautiful and modern hotel in Japan.
Hayami Kachi house was designed by Arata Endo, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it includes all of the design principles found in the American Prairie style.
