Sunday Escape

Have you ever, where you were a child, played to Indians and cowboys, dreaming of living in those small tapered tents typical of the native American? Growing up, have you become a design addicted?

If the answer to all the questions is yes, then you will be enchanted by looking at the work of Tokyo's architect Issei Suma.

Located on the mountain ridge in the rural district of Shizuoka, halfway between Tokyo and Nagoya, lies Jikka, a small private teepee residential complex. Built in the 1960s for a couple of friends, a chef, and a social worker, now space serves both as a home, but also allows you to do some work at home as well as offering nursing care and a meal delivery service. The five huts all have a square-shaped plant, the sides superimposed on one another, the pointed roofs the arch-shaped walls covered with thin wooden panels outside and, internally, concrete and wooden beams.

Each of the complex's buildings, covering an area of about 100 square meters, has a different function: the largest in the center houses a small dining room and a spacious stainless steel kitchen; two west wing blocks provide accommodation for guests thanks to a shared bedroom, a bathroom, and a storage area; while in the east there is the block for guests.

Another part contains a spiral shaped pool, designed to facilitate entry and exit for both people with walking difficulties and visiting children.