The Nakaniwa House is inspired by the Japanese garden tradition of small courtyards. Nakaniwa means ‘middle garden’. A nakaniwa garden, with elevated platforms and gangways, and often a water feature, has a delicate relationship with the house. By bringing vegetation to the edge of the house, it creates an intimacy between indoor and outdoor space.

The Nakaniwa House is located in a coastal area with fragile vegetation that left untouched as much as possible. Grey patinated walls delineate the site, demarcating where the domestic space meets the open landscape.

This enclosure is ‘inhabited’ by a house and an annexe clad in burnt wood, with a small landscaped garden in the middle. 

The grey walls frame prospects of the natural surroundings, and simultaneously ensure the privacy by limiting how much neighbours can see of each other’s homes. Sheltered from the volatile and often unforgiving Nordic coastal climate, the garden offers a pleasant microclimate. Each room in the house has a view both of the open landscape and the courtyard, to enjoy the best of both worlds