{"id":492943,"date":"2026-01-05T00:43:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T00:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/492943\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T00:43:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T00:43:17","slug":"large-metal-roof-tops-off-grid-home-on-japanese-island-by-sakai-architects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/492943\/","title":{"rendered":"Large metal roof tops off-grid home on Japanese island by Sakai Architects"},"content":{"rendered":"

A large corrugated metal<\/a> roof topped by a triangular skylight<\/a> shelters the timber<\/a>-lined interiors of Amami House, an off-grid<\/a> home in Japan<\/a> designed by local studio Sakai Architects.<\/p>\n

Named after its location on Amami \u014cshima, an island in the Amami archipelago off Japan’s southern coast, the 119-square-metre home was designed for the founder of Sakai Architects<\/a>, Kazunori Sakai.<\/p>\n

\"AmamiCorrugated metal lines the roof at Amami House<\/p>\n

An increase in extreme weather conditions on the island prompted Sakai to create what he described as an “autonomous, self-sustaining home”, the design of which was informed by the region’s traditional materials and crafts.<\/p>\n

As well as using solar power for all of its electricity, the home includes a vegetable garden that doubles as a space for composting food waste, and a small sauna that uses fuel made from construction offcuts.<\/p>\n

\"InteriorSakai Architects lined the interior of the home in timber<\/p>\n

“Driven by accelerating environmental degradation and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, the design seeks a new mode of living that can endure future uncertainties,” Sakai told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“By grounding the project in Amami’s cultural and environmental heritage, the house reinterprets local traditions to propose a contemporary form of resilient, self-reliant habitation,” he added.<\/p>\n

\"Timber-linedEnclosed private spaces surround open living spaces<\/p>\n

The home’s organisation is based on a historical, multi-volume layout known as bunt\u014d, with private spaces in standalone timber volumes positioned at the corners of a square plan, where they enclose a more open, communal living, kitchen and dining space.<\/p>\n

Lining both the interior and exterior of Amami House are planks of sugi, Japanese cedar, which have been dyed using both local mud and the extract of the Sharimbai tree, a process used in the region’s traditional textile craft.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Howqua<\/p>\n

Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors nestles off-grid home in Australia’s Victorian Alps\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

“By contemporising the bunt\u014d logic, the design dissolves rigid boundaries \u2013 between rooms, between indoors and outdoors, and between family and community,” Sakai said.<\/p>\n

“These open, tolerant spaces evoke the spirit of yui, Amami’s tradition of collective cooperation, transforming the house into a cultural as well as architectural gesture,” he added.<\/p>\n

\"Off-gridEaves shelter the outdoor space around the house<\/p>\n

The home’s timber volumes \u2013 containing a bedroom, storage, pantry, sauna and bathroom \u2013 stop short of a large, open attic space, which was designed to help naturally ventilate the home.<\/p>\n

Above, the beams of the oversized metal roof have been left exposed and extend to support large eaves that shelter an engawa<\/a> and entrance porch around the home’s perimeter.<\/p>\n

\"AmamiA sauna uses fuel made from construction offcuts<\/p>\n

The form of this roof, known as irimoya, or hip and gable, was chosen by Sakai as a contemporary interpretation of the corrugated metal and tiled roofs typical in the area.<\/p>\n

Other homes in Japan recently featured on Dezeen include a concrete home in Tokyo by Suzuko Yamada Architects with furniture cast within its walls<\/a> and an angular red home in Shikoku Island by Marutau Arqui<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Toshihisa Ishii<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A large corrugated metal roof topped by a triangular skylight shelters the timber-lined interiors of Amami House, an…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":492944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[648,1032,188305,1033,171,6029,170,222011,981,200004,25017,92915,92916,222012,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-492943","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-corrugated-metal","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-houses","14":"tag-japan","15":"tag-japanese-houses","16":"tag-metal","17":"tag-off-grid-architecture","18":"tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","19":"tag-sectionall","20":"tag-sectionarchitecture","21":"tag-skylights","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115839723537840151","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}