Wall Layer and Canopy Roof

Wall Layer and Canopy Roof is a private residence located near central Sapporo, Japan, in a dense urban environment where apartments, offices, shops and houses coexist. The site is surrounded by various scales, functions and visual noise, yet the project does not attempt to isolate itself completely from the city. Instead, it creates a quiet architectural threshold where urban life, domestic life and nature-like spatial experience can overlap.

The house is composed as a sequence of layered elements rather than a conventional residential volume. A long white approach draws visitors away from the surrounding streetscape and gradually shifts their perception from the city to the interior world of the house. Beyond this approach, a large patio appears beneath a broad timber lattice canopy. This canopy acts like the crown of a tree, receiving light, shadow, snow and seasonal changes, while giving the outdoor space a calm, protective atmosphere.

The patio is not treated as a garden separated from the house, but as an extension of daily living. It creates a semi-outdoor room where the boundary between inside and outside becomes ambiguous. In a snowy northern climate, this intermediate space allows residents to feel the sky, air and changing seasons while remaining connected to the comfort of the home.

Inside, layered walls are arranged like tree trunks, guiding movement, privacy and spatial depth. These walls do not simply divide rooms; they create overlapping scenes, framed views and gradual transitions. Above them, shoji-like ceilings soften light and add a floating sense of scale.

Through the combination of approach, canopy, patio, wall layers and ceilings, the project reinterprets the relationship between architecture, garden and city. It transforms an ordinary urban site into a poetic and intimate living landscape, offering a calm refuge within the density of Sapporo.