Kurosawa Kawara-ten Renovates Ichihara Tea Room with Salvaged Timber, Titanium, Corten Steel

Ichihara Tea Room Renovation Completed

Kurosawa Kawara-ten completed the renovation of a six-tatami tea room in Ichihara, Chiba, Japan. The tea room is located within an annex belonging to a former family timber business. The project incorporated salvaged local timber, titanium sheet, and Corten steel, aiming to connect the structure's history with its garden environment.

This renovation adapted the space for resting and receiving guests, while retaining historical layers and introducing new elements. The property's main house is a traditional timber dwelling, complemented by a professionally designed garden.

The annex, however, had accumulated additions such as prefabricated siding and decorative brick over time, reflecting changes in the family's business and living arrangements. The renovation approach integrates these existing elements rather than establishing a strict distinction from new construction.

Design Integrates Existing Structures and Accessibility

The renovation added a glazed extension between the tea room and the existing storage and garage areas. This new volume creates a defined transition space, with a gabled canopy extending from the original rain hood. Openings in the extension follow the roof pitch, bringing views of the garden into the interior.

The floor of the glazed area is level with the exterior ground, allowing easy movement between the interior and garden for individuals with limited mobility. The design retains several original tea room components, including a decorative post, perimeter ledge, and sliding entrance door.

Kurosawa Kawara-ten arranged new elements around these existing features, adhering to principles associated with sukiya architecture, which emphasizes precise composition of slender lines. Window frames and sills show distinct hierarchies, and walls maintain their original shinkabe construction.

Japanese evergreen oak veneer panels are set behind columns with fine shadow gaps, blending old and new lines into a shared architectural composition.

Material Specification for Longevity and Local Connection

Material selection for the project connects to the property's history and location. Japanese evergreen oak, used for exterior and interior wall surfaces, was salvaged from nearby felled trees that would otherwise have been discarded. A keyaki plank from the tokonoma alcove was planed and refinished for a new shelf, repurposing an existing component.

New cypress beams in the lean-to were treated with an iron mordant to bring their color closer to that of the existing timber, reducing visual distinction. This treatment also references Ichihara's industrial waterfront several kilometers away. The canopy is clad in titanium sheet, selected for its ability to maintain its appearance for approximately 60 years.

Exterior columns are Corten steel, whose surface develops a controlled rust layer. The project avoids establishing a hierarchy between existing and newly introduced materials, selecting components based on their relationship to the site, its construction history, and material character, emphasizing reuse and repurposing for architectural continuity.

Implications for Asian Building Material Specification

This project by Kurosawa Kawara-ten demonstrates a renovation approach that integrates salvaged local materials and modern, durable options.

The use of Japanese evergreen oak and keyaki plank from the site itself shows how local timber resources can be re-employed in construction projects, potentially reducing material procurement costs and supporting circular economy principles.

Specifiers and developers in Asia, facing similar challenges with aging housing stock or properties with historical significance, can examine this method for adapting existing structures.

The choice of titanium for 60-year appearance retention and Corten steel for controlled weathering offers examples of specifying materials for long-term performance and aesthetic integration, providing a reference for material selection in projects requiring specific durability and visual characteristics.