Project Info
Architects: Junya Ishigami + Associates
Project Name: House & Restaurant
Location: Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Client: Motonori Hirata
The organic roof slab sits level with the ground, pierced by light wells for the excavated spaces below
Excavation as a Way of Building
Rather than constructing upward, Ishigami began by digging into the ground. Concrete was poured directly into the soil, then the earth was removed to reveal the void it once occupied. This reversal of the typical building process produced surfaces deeply marked by the surrounding soil. Initially, the team intended to clean them, but Ishigami decided to preserve the mud. It remains as a living texture, connecting the architecture to the land from which it emerged.
The building is submerged in the earth, its roof acting as a new ground plane with three circular light wells
The result is an interior that feels both ancient and alive. Walls appear as if eroded by time, while light filters through narrow openings, tracing slow patterns across rough concrete. Every irregular curve and earthy hue becomes a silent record of the construction process.
The cave-like interior, formed by excavation, reveals the raw, mud-stained concrete arches
Between Living and Gathering
The building’s layout divides into two distinct yet connected zones. One half contains the restaurant, where a concrete counter forms the heart of the space. Chefs work behind glass while guests sit in view of the rough surfaces that surround them. When the restaurant closes, the area transforms into a quiet living space.
The modern restaurant counter contrasts with the raw, mud-stained walls left by the excavation process
The other half is the private residence, designed with equal restraint. Living areas are sunken into the ground, with courtyards bringing in daylight and ventilation. The boundaries between interior and exterior are softened, allowing nature to breathe through the openings.
Arched openings connect the unearthed, cave-like interior directly to the surrounding excavated landscape
Between these two functions lie three small courtyards. They serve as both light wells and moments of pause, offering a glimpse of sky within the depth of the earth.
Material and Atmosphere
The materials are few and simple — concrete, soil, glass, and air. Their honesty gives the building a rare emotional quality. The mud-stained surfaces are not decoration but evidence of process. Imperfections are celebrated, and irregularities are treated as part of the building’s character.
A sunken seating area and light-well courtyard create a meditative pause in the earthen-walled interior
Light is the most delicate material of all. It enters from above through circular openings in the concrete slab, moving slowly through the day and transforming the space without ever revealing it completely. The interior becomes a quiet theatre of shadows, evoking a feeling closer to a cave than to a conventional house.
The bedroom is a private grotto, fully enveloped by the raw, mud-stained earth walls
A Meditation on Time
Junya Ishigami’s architecture has always sought to dissolve boundaries — between nature and structure, between building and landscape. Here, he goes further, creating a place that feels as though it has existed for centuries. The mud, the concrete, and the air all play equal roles in shaping an experience that speaks of time, weight, and stillness.
A modern concrete sink contrasts with the ancient, imperfect texture of the preserved mud-stained walls
Rather than imposing itself on the land, the project listens to it. Over the years, its surfaces will darken, its edges will soften, and its mood will change with the seasons. It is an architecture not of perfection, but of persistence — a building that will continue to grow more beautiful as it ages.
Modern kitchen functions are embedded directly within the raw, earthy walls of the excavated space
PHOTO CREDIT: Junya Ishigami + Associates
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