Sandwich House: A Sunroom-Centered Family Home in Morioka

Located in a quiet residential neighborhood of Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture, Sandwich House is a newly built single-story home designed for a family of four. Conceived by NoMaDoS, the 79 m² residence responds directly to the rhythms of everyday life, particularly the practical demands of raising two children in a sports-oriented household.

With the father and children actively involved in baseball, the family required a home capable of accommodating large volumes of laundry indoors year-round. Rather than treating this necessity as a secondary function, the architects positioned it at the core of the design.

The Sunroom as Architectural Heart

At the center of the house lies a tall, chimney-like sunroom, an adaptable corridor that functions as the organizing spine of the dwelling. This space acts as the “filling” of the sandwich, with surrounding living areas layered around it.

The sunroom performs multiple roles:

• Indoor laundry drying area
• Children’s play zone
• Casual space for playing catch
• Flexible extension for entertaining guests

A motorized, height-adjustable clothes-drying pole allows the family to manage heavy laundry loads efficiently. With the flick of a switch, the pole can be raised or lowered, optimizing vertical space while maintaining openness.

When four sliding glass doors are opened, the sunroom merges seamlessly with the living room, transforming into one large, continuous social area.

Privacy, Light, and Garden Connection

Although situated in a dense residential context, the home carefully balances openness with privacy. Large ground-level windows frame views of the garden while avoiding direct sightlines from neighboring properties. This design ensures that the family enjoys natural light and greenery without compromising discretion.

Glass surfaces and warm timber finishes create a bright yet intimate atmosphere. The transparency of the sunroom allows daylight to penetrate deep into the interior, reinforcing its central role.

Efficient Single-Story Living

The simple, level layout enhances accessibility and daily functionality. With no floor level changes, the house supports easy cleaning, designed even with robotic vacuums in mind.

The floor plan forms a continuous loop that connects the bathroom, wash area, walk-through closet, and sunroom. This arrangement minimizes household workflow, allowing chores to be completed efficiently within a compact footprint.

Architecture as Everyday Joy

Sandwich House demonstrates how modest scale can produce spatial richness. By placing a multifunctional sunroom at its core, NoMaDoS transforms a practical requirement into a defining architectural gesture.

The result is a home where domestic tasks, children’s play, and family gatherings converge in a luminous central space, proving that thoughtful design can elevate even the most routine aspects of life.