Q&A：南側にすぐ隣家があります。この場合でも南リビングでしょうか？

Today, I'd like to share my thoughts on a thoughtful question I received from a client. The question is, "There's a neighboring house right next to the south side of the property; should the living room still face south?" I'd like to use this as a starting point to explain various aspects. Incidentally, there's some additional information regarding this question: While the neighboring house is very close to the south, the east side faces a road, the north side a private road, and the west side is vacant land. The question is, "Should the living room face south in such a property?" As usual, please refer to my whiteboard while I explain. To put it simply, the common idea that "south = living room" is partly correct, but also partly incorrect. Of course, we advocate passive design, so we consider various factors based on the principle of creating a house that is responsive to sunlight—making full use of the sun in winter and cleverly avoiding the sun in summer. However, when there's a house to the south, does that mean we "give up" on having a south-facing living room because there's no light? That's not the case. What I'm searching for without giving up is not just the direction, but "from where can the sky be seen?" Ultimately, we want direct sunlight, and the sun is incredibly powerful, so the entire sky is bright. Being able to see the sky means that light will come in. Therefore, I think considering the direction from which the sky is visible is a fundamental approach to design. So, even if a house faces south, if there's an open area of ​​the sky somewhere and an opening can be made there, light will enter. On the other hand, even in houses with an open south-facing side, there might be large trees or the eaves of the house might extend too far. Some people prefer long eaves, so there are houses that face south but don't get sunlight because of long eaves. There are also issues with eaves and such, so it's not just that. One of the specialized architectural concepts is "sky ratio." It's a formula for calculating the percentage of the sky that can be seen without being obstructed by buildings, and it's used in things like relaxing floor area ratio regulations. For example, with the northern slope restriction, the building is actually built closer to the property line, but the sky ratio compensates for this, ensuring that the sky over the neighboring property is still visible. Therefore, the fundamental conclusion is that you don't need to mechanically think "south = sunlight = living room." There's a building that left a strong impression on me. There's a designer named Kenji Onishi, whom Professor Matsuo considers his mentor and respects highly. I had the opportunity to see a house designed by Mr. Onishi in Osaka. Even though it's in a bustling, old-fashioned neighborhood, the building is constructed with high walls on all four sides, completely blocking out the view of neighboring houses. He's essentially created a pseudo-space by forcibly building a wall around his own house, making it seem as if the surrounding area is densely built up. There's a room tour of that house, which I'll link in the description. The moment you step inside, all the hustle and bustle outside is shut out, and all you see is the sky. It's like, "What a beautiful sky!" And then, "Why is it so bright despite being in such a densely built-up area!" That's the power of design. I was really impressed by Professor Onishi's work. I spent about two or three hours touring the house, and it was absolutely breathtaking. I want you to keep in mind that such possibilities exist. Furthermore, I think the environment of the site is also something we should consider. To summarize the conditions, first, there's a neighboring house to the south. But the east is open because it faces a road. I think it's probably a road at least 4 meters wide, so it feels like there's about 4 meters of open space. To the north, there's a private road. I don't know if it's 2 or 3 meters wide, but there's a high probability that the sky is unobstructed. And to the west, there's an empty lot. You might think, "It's good that the west is an empty lot," but my biggest concern is, "We don't know what will happen in the future." I don't think the private road will change, but the west side is uncertain. Given all that, I strongly feel that we don't need to focus solely on the south when considering this site. But then the question becomes, "If we don't focus on the south, what are the alternatives?" There are several, but I think there are about six, so I'll introduce them one by one. Firstly, if I were to consider one, I'd put the living room on the east side. I'm the same way; I leave first thing in the morning and am not home during the day. Considering the total time I spend in my life, I feel like I'd like to benefit from the east. The biggest advantage is the morning sun, right? There's even a saying about wanting to eat a meal while basking in the ...