White Cave House | © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio The conventional courtyard house confronts a climatic paradox in Kanazawa, Japan, where winter snow accumulates in deep, persistent layers. Traditionally associated with sunlit, arid environments, heavy snowfall can fundamentally challenge the courtyard typology. In response to these conditions, Takuro Yamamoto Architects devised White Cave House (2013), a residence that critiques, reshapes, and revalidates the courtyard model for a snowy suburban context. White Cave House Technical Information Architects1-8: Takuro Yamamoto Architects Location: Kanazawa, Japan Area: 172.33 m2 | 1,855 Sq. Ft. Project Year: 2011 – 2013 Photographs: © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio We proposed to connect these external spaces one another into a large single tube, or Cave, and have each part serve multiple purposes in order to make up for the space limitations. – Takuro Yamamoto Architects White Cave House Photographs Facade | © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio White Cave House: Adapting Typology to Climate This single-family house, located on a 493.88 m² site, is not merely a formal exercise in white minimalism but an attempt to resolve spatial contradictions through architectural strategy. Rather than prioritizing interior space at the expense of outdoor functions or vice versa, the architects introduce a third condition: the Cave. This spatial system, composed of a continuous, cranked void, acts as a connective and generative device that rethinks how program, privacy, and climate interact. The initial brief called for a home with minimal expression and multiple exterior spaces, including a roofed garage, a covered entrance, a sky-facing terrace, and a courtyard. However, in Kanazawa, such outdoor amenities often become non-functional in winter. Snow not only conceals the courtyard but complicates access to the home. To navigate this contradiction, the design reframes the courtyard as part of a larger architectural system. The solution was not to compartmentalize or reduce but to integrate. By spatially linking the outdoor elements into a continuous, kinked tube, what the architects describe as a White Cave, each programmatic element retains autonomy while benefiting from collective spatial logic. This bent and folded cave balances visibility and opacity, allowing light and air to circulate while preserving internal privacy. The project becomes an architectural diagram in three dimensions, an exercise in folding a linear void into a coherent living framework that works both in summer and under heavy snow. Spatial Logic and Visual Continuity Unlike most courtyard homes, where the courtyard is the central void around which functions are organized, White Cave House positions the void itself as a pathway. This void is not residual but essential: it is the architecture. The kinked configuration of the Cave mediates privacy by obstructing direct lines of sight from the street. Its geometry offers framed, oblique views rather than open panoramas. This spatial logic introduces a sense of depth and progression, transforming what could have been leftover outdoor space into a dynamic corridor of light and shadow. Internally, rooms are organized to face this void, not for outward views but for carefully curated inward experiences. In a sense, the architecture turns itself inside out. The Cave becomes both a facade and an interior, challenging conventional spatial hierarchies. Materiality and Phenomenological Depth Materially, the house is defined by its white monochrome in form and surface treatment. Thick, load-bearing walls, painted in matte white, produce a monolithic impression, emphasizing the house’s sculptural quality. The continuous whiteness allows subtle changes in light and texture, seasonal, daily, and momentary, to become the focus of visual experience. Perhaps most striking is the use of water as a spatial modifier. A thin basin integrated into the terrace captures shallow pools of water, transforming a flat surface into a reflective void. As sky and sunlight dance across its surface, the basin becomes a mirror of atmospheric conditions. Here, the Cave no longer just carves through solid material; it also holds and reflects the ephemeral. This material clarity extends into structural decisions. The wooden frame is not articulated expressively but concealed to reinforce the building’s mass-like presence. The result is a space that feels not constructed but excavated. White Cave House Plans Floor Plan | © Takuro Yamamoto Architects Sections | © Takuro Yamamoto Architects Elevations | © Takuro Yamamoto Architects White Cave House Image Gallery About Takuro Yamamoto Architects Takuro Yamamoto Architects is a Tokyo-based architectural practice founded in 2005 by Takuro Yamamoto. The firm is renowned for its minimalist residential designs that thoughtfully integrate light, voids, and spatial continuity. Their work often explores the interplay between interior and exterior spaces, emphasizing privacy and openness. Notable projects include the White Cave House and the Little House with a Big Terrace, both exemplifying the firm’s commitment to creating timeless architecture that responds to its environment. Credits and Additional Notes Structure: Wood Design Period: Feb 2011 – Sept 2012 Construction Period: Oct 2012 – June 2013 Structural Engineer: Yamada Noriaki Structural Design Office Construction: Ninomiya-Kensetsu Client: Married couple + child Site Area: 493.88 m² Building Area: 132.68 m²