A weekend house for a family of three is built on a grassy plan between the ocean and the mountains in Japan. How do you build a house that sits between the two beautiful views without blocking either? "A grassy plain was cut into and lifted up to produce an in-between space for the house," according to Tokyo-based Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects. As a result, the grassy plain became a living green roof—and playground.
Photographs via Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects.
![700 nap green roof house 5](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-5.jpg)
Above: The roof slab was constructed of non-corrosive concrete and provides additional insulation to keep the house warm.
![700 nap green roof house 1](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-1.jpg)
Above: "The experience of lying down on the roof becomes equivalent to lying down on the grass ground," according to the architects.
![700 nap green roof house 6](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-6.jpg)
Above: Seasonal changes in vegetation give the clients an opportunity to clip and shape the roof, creating a different silhouette for the house as the months progress.
![700 nap green roof house 8](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-8.jpg)
Above: The grass and soil creates a protective layer and reduces the cost of the exterior sheathing.
![700 nap green roof house 2](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-2.jpg)
![700 nap green roof house 4](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-4.jpg)
Above: The interior space has "exquisite views of the ocean and the mountains, framed between wildflowers on the roof and the ground," according to the architects.
![700 nap green roof house 7](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-7.jpg)
Above: Walls of glass and windows blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.
![700 nap green roof house 9](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/03-2013/700_nap-green-roof-house-9.jpg)
For another of our favorite houses that blurs the boundaries between indoors and out, see Transparent Living, Japanese Style.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation