teahouse: a stone that holds light
San Diego
Smyer architecture

Not yet time for teahouse

Courtesy Jeffrey Durkin

For more images click on 'photos & drawings' above.

The clients wanted a freestanding, dedicated guest quarters to help fill out their backyard. In creating the teahouse, the architect was inspired by the clients' Japanese heritage and followed principles laid out in the Sakuteiki, which is perhaps Japan's oldest book on garden design. For instance, the teahouse is skewed from the main house's axis in order to align it with true north and thereby create a harmonious balance with the landscape.

In developing a form for the teahouse, the architect began with a perfect square. To direct the eye outward, the architect then added low sloping walls that projected away from the square's focal points. Eventually, the square was split into two overlapping rectangles: one containing a living room, the other containing a bedroom. These forms respectively symbolize a lantern and a guardian stone, two features commonly found in Japanese gardens. Where the rectangles meet, the architect inserted a bathroom.

The teahouse is to be clad in glass. Other materials in the palette are inspired by the "five phases" described in the Sakuteiki: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. To symbolize fire, the lantern form will be painted red. The architect placed the project on hold after the clients opted to install a less expensive prefabricated structure.

Formal name of building:
teahouse : a stone that holds light

Location:
San Diego

Gross square footage:
400 sq. ft.

Owner:
Karen Nishi

Architect:
Smyer Architecture
337 S. Cedros Ave. Suite F
Solana Beach, Ca 92075
T. 858.755.4731
F. 858.755.6594

Jeffrey Durkin, David Semon

Associate Architect(s):
Jeffrey Durkin

Interior designer:
Jeffrey Durkin

Engineer(s):
Paul Feather

Consultant(s):
Landscape: Jeffrey Durkin

Renderer(s):
Jeffrey Durkin Phone: 858.755.4731

CAD system, project management, or other software used:
A.D.T. 2004 autodesk.com, 3D studio Max, Photoshop www.abobe.com