“House in the Plum Grove” is a design proposal for a family of five, sited in an urban part of Tokyo. It responds to the unique setting amidst plum trees and the family’s lifestyle. The house speaks to the Japanese relationship with nature: respecting, not invading. Walls, windows, a garden, and a rooftop garden bridge the two worlds. My illustration provides a means to explore the home’s interior and exterior. I envision the house and its surrounding vegetation becoming more integrated over time. As the bonsai tree brings horticultural elements to the inside world, the child’s bicycle takes a temporary claim to the world outside. As grassy surfaces slowly grow towards the street, they are echoed by the grasses in the garden on the roof. I wanted to depict the house in shifting light, day to night, and as a setting for a wide range of activities, from work in a home office to flying kites, watching butterflies, or catching fireflies. The surrounding plum trees are emblematic of the home’s most prized qualities. The plum blossoms carpet the garden, signaling spring and pollination by the bees. In fall, the fruit feeds the family, the trees providing both aesthetic and literal nourishment. I want the house to be a marriage of the technical (electrical) and the natural (bio-illumination of insects), both practical and whimsical.
A vignette that features a scene within some part of your given architectural scenario.