暮らしやすい天井の高さを解説します

Today's topic is ceiling height in homes. Recently, in meetings with clients, especially younger ones, I've been asked, "What ceiling height is best?" On the other hand, when I talk to clients who are about my age or even more experienced than me, they often say, "I just don't like low ceilings." This made me want to settle the issue of ceiling height. When I was a university student, I had the opportunity to meet Misawa Chiyoji, the founder of Misawa Homes. He's small in stature, but I get the impression he's a very powerful man. He once said, "High ceilings are better." As students, we were left dumbfounded, not understanding why. He then added, "You know, in Japan, many important people are born into homes with very high ceilings." I wasn't sure if this was true, but he said it with such force that it stuck with me: "I see. High ceilings are essential." This story reminded me of this story, so I'd like to start by talking about the benefits of high ceilings. The biggest benefit is the sense of openness. Being high makes a space feel more spacious, and it also allows for better ventilation. Higher ceilings allow for easier ventilation. This also brings into play the high sidelights (high windows) I mentioned the other day. Hot air escapes more easily. Another benefit is that the lighting is placed higher, making the space brighter. On the other hand, there are also disadvantages. Since the ceilings are higher, the capacity of the house increases, which means air conditioning costs are higher. Also, some people are bothered by reverberation because the space rises. Next, the benefit of low ceilings. This may be surprising, but it's easier to create a calming space. It makes you feel like you're in a luxury resort hotel, and so relaxing. In fact, when you go to places like that, the ceilings are often surprisingly low. Another benefit is the clean windows. Commercially available windows are around 2100mm high, so having all the windows makes the space look cleaner. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that it's difficult to install a chandelier. Not many people want one these days, but back in the day, many people dreamed of having one. Low ceilings can easily get in the way, so that's one of the disadvantages. There may also be times when it's difficult to fit furniture in. After hearing about the pros and cons of high and low ceilings, I'll explain my general idea of ​​the dimensions. Take a look at the picture. When asked, "What's the typical ceiling height in a home?" I answer, "It's roughly 2200mm to 2400mm." I think most major home builders also use 2400mm. Many condominiums also use 2400mm. So 2400mm is a very common dimension. However, recently there's been a trend toward lower ceiling heights, and an increasing number of buildings are setting them at 2200mm. For those used to 2400mm, a 20cm lower ceiling can feel a little low. This is often the case among older people. On the other hand, many younger people respond with comments like, "It doesn't bother me" or "It's surprisingly good." (Sorry, I'm not criticizing older people. I'm older too, so please forgive me.) Of course, if you're tall, you'd be able to reach the ceiling at 2200mm. But it seems that's how it feels. The famous Irei Satoshi, who is considered a master of residential design in today's society, prefers the dimension 2100mm. This ceiling height is at the limit, as the Building Standards Act requires a habitable room to be at least 2100mm. When you hear 2100mm, you might think it's too low, but almost no one who visits a home designed by Irei says, "It's too low." Many people say, "It was a wonderful space that appealed to the unique Japanese sensibility." So that's just how height is. Furthermore, the ancient master Junzo Yoshimura wrote in his book, "The basic interior dimensions of building fixtures are 5 shaku 7 sun." 5 shaku 7 sun is just over 1 meter 70 cm. This is about the average height of a young Japanese boy, plus a little more. I don't think this is too short, but it seems to have felt right to the Japanese of Yoshimura's time. (If we were to translate it into modern times, it might be a little higher.) By the way, 6 shaku is about 1818mm. Yoshimura said that slightly higher ceilings were much more comfortable than fittings that were around 5 shaku 7 sun to 6 shaku high. He said this based on his experience in America and Europe, too. So, many architects who have a strong sense of beauty or who seek to express a sense of peace in their spaces often place great importance on a dimension of around 2100mm. On the other hand, I still often hear from home builders that "we have high ceilings," and they still design with 2600-2700mm, or even 3200mm. I drew this diagram. If the man is 170cm tall and the woman is around 158cm tall, 2100mm and 3200mm make a huge difference. One thing I think is that the height of a space depends on one's own sensibilities, so even if someone says, "Professor Junzo Yoshimura said th...