豆NEW

京都市中京区

阪急四条烏丸駅から徒歩5分の京町家スイーツ店。https://www.instagram.com/p/DWN0Jb6E7Bk/

以前デザインさせていただいた医院のクライアントから連絡があり、京都で将来的に住む予定で京町家を購入したので、相談に乗って欲しいとのことだった。

現場を訪問すると、間口は狭いが奥行きは深く、奥庭がある典型的な２階建の京町家で、情緒ある建物だった。

お聞きすると、すぐには住むつもりではないそうだったので、四条烏丸駅からも徒歩圏内で商業的も可能性がある物件だなと思い、テナントとして賃貸に出されてはどうかと提案し、了承を得た。

最初、建物の状況を調査するため、不要な内装を解体した。新建材で囲まれた内装材を撤去していくと、中から昔の新聞を壁に貼った土壁が出てきた。また、テナントの内装に使えそうな味のある木材や扉は全て残した。

知り合いのテナントリーシングの方に、この案件のリーシングを依頼した。近隣の要望が厳しく、条件は重飲食、民泊不可であり、テナント付に1年以上を要した。

テナント付を待った甲斐があったのか、良きテナントの方と出会った。

台湾の方で京都に住んで長く、普段は民泊の運営、管理の仕事をされてるが、京都の豆腐店が減っていることを残念に思っておられ、京都の豆腐を使った台湾のスイーツである”豆花”のカフェを開きたいということだった。

建築家として、京町家が京都からどんどんなくなっていることは知っていたので、日本人として、京町家、京都の豆腐店を救うお手伝いができれば嬉しいなと思った。

そこからデザインを進めていったが、京都は地域のつながりが強く、どんな店を作るのか町内会で説明、承認が求められ、さらに京町家の外観を改装するにあたり、自治会の承認が必要だった。

はじめに計画を説明したときはボロカスに言われて、だいぶ凹んだ。（後から聞いた話だが、京都では最初はボロカスに言うらしい。）だが、何度も町内会や自治会に説明し、京町家に相応しい外観、近隣への防音、臭い対策、道路への行列対策、夜間営業の中止要望など、さまざまな意見を聞き、対案を説明しては、デザインに落とし込んでいった。

外観は、自治会の要望や京都市の条例もあり、京町家にふさわしい外観に再整備した。だが、飲食店であるため、扉の京町家特有の縦格子は内部がよく見えるように高さを抑えたデザインとした。

道路側の既存２階の床を撤去し、開放的な吹抜けに大きな和紙の照明を吊り下げた。その既存の２階の床材は新たに設けた1階の厨房のカウンターの腰壁に使った。また、既存の使わなくなった木製扉を1階通路の土壁の前に並べ、扉のガラス越しに土壁が見えるような仕掛けとした。

1階の奥庭は造園家に情緒ある庭に整えてもらい、奥庭の奥の近隣との壁は既存の味のある壁を見せるようにした。その庭が室内からよく見えるように、庭の前の室内の客席の床を掘り下げて、立ち食いテーブル席とした。テーブルの手前は車椅子席としても使用できる高さに工夫している。

2階は道路側の天井は屋根の野路板を表して間接照明で照らし、客席は断熱材を入れた天井を設け、黒く塗った木材で包み、さまざまなところに既存の木製扉を取り付けた。

photo:Nacasa&partners

Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City

A traditional Kyoto townhouse located a 5-minute walk from Hankyu Shijo Karasuma Station.

I received a call from a client whose clinic I had previously designed. They had purchased a traditional Kyoto townhouse with the intention of living there in the future and wanted my advice.

Upon visiting the site, I found it to be a typical two-story Kyoto townhouse with a narrow frontage but deep interior and a back garden—a charming and atmospheric building.

They mentioned they didn’t intend to live there immediately, and considering its proximity to Shijo Karasuma Station and its potential for commercial use, I suggested renting it out as a tenant space, which they agreed to.

Initially, to assess the building’s condition, I demolished unnecessary interior materials. Removing the modern building materials revealed earthen walls covered with old newspapers. I also retained all the characterful wood and doors that could be used for the tenant’s interior.

I then commissioned a tenant leasing professional I knew to handle the leasing for this project. The neighbors had strict requirements, including restrictions on heavy food service and no short-term rentals, so it took over a year to find a tenant.

However, the wait was worthwhile, as we found a wonderful tenant.

The tenant is from Taiwan, has lived in Kyoto for a long time, and usually works in short-term rental management. They were saddened by the decline of tofu shops in Kyoto and wanted to open a cafe specializing in “douhua,” a Taiwanese dessert made with Kyoto tofu.

As an architect, I knew that traditional Kyoto townhouses were disappearing rapidly, so as a Japanese person, I was happy to help save these townhouses and Kyoto tofu shops.

We proceeded with the design, but Kyoto has strong community ties, and we needed to explain and get approval from the neighborhood association regarding the type of shop we wanted to create. Furthermore, approval from the residents’ association was required for renovating the exterior of the townhouse.

When I first explained the plan, I was met with harsh criticism, which was quite discouraging. (I later heard that in Kyoto, people initially criticize things quite harshly.) However, after repeatedly explaining the project to the neighborhood association and community council, I listened to various opinions regarding an exterior befitting a traditional Kyoto townhouse, soundproofing for neighbors, odor control, measures to manage queues on the street, and requests to discontinue nighttime operations. I presented alternative proposals and incorporated them into the design.

The exterior was redesigned to be befitting a traditional Kyoto townhouse, taking into account the requests of the community council and Kyoto City regulations. However, since it’s a restaurant, the vertical lattice work on the doors, characteristic of traditional Kyoto townhouses, was reduced in height to allow for a clear view of the interior.

The existing second-floor flooring on the street side was removed, and a large washi paper light fixture was hung in the open atrium. The existing second-floor flooring was used for the wainscoting of the newly installed kitchen counter on the first floor. Furthermore, existing, unused wooden doors were lined up in front of the earthen wall in the first-floor passageway, creating a design where the earthen wall is visible through the glass of the doors.

The back garden on the first floor was designed by a landscape architect to create an aesthetically pleasing space, while the wall separating it from the neighboring property at the back of the garden was left exposed to showcase the existing, characterful wall. To ensure a clear view of the garden from inside, the floor of the seating area in front of the garden was lowered to create standing-only tables. The tables are designed at a height that allows for wheelchair access.

On the second floor, the ceiling facing the street exposes the roof sheathing and is illuminated with indirect lighting. The seating area features an insulated ceiling, wrapped in black-painted wood, and various existing wooden doors were incorporated.