Kamura House

The client wanted one room to work in that could not be seen from the road, and one room to eat in that could be seen from everywhere. The rest of the brief was a budget and a deadline.

The plot is a disused vineyard terrace, 6.4 metres wide between two dry-stone retaining walls. Rather than build in front of the lower wall we built into it: the working room is cut 2.9 metres into the slope, lit from a single rooflight, and holds a constant 18 degrees without heating.

Above it the living floor is a light timber frame with full-height glazing on the valley side. The two halves share nothing except a stair and a flue.