This house by Eastern Design Office was built for a client who expects his death sometime in the next decade and a half. Its layout is loaded with symbolism, particularly its avoidance of sunsets.
Yatzer has an detailed explanation of the house’s symbolic design. Here’s an excerpt:
This is the case with this elderly loner, who expects his death within the next fifteen years. “I will die in 15 years. It will be a house awaiting that death. The building is fine as long as it lasts 15 years. Something small would be good” the client said to EASTERN Design Office. […] The plot of land had already been selected by the principal; a plot on a beach beyond sublime Suzuka mountain range, yonder past the ravines of the Ise Penninsula. It is a plot of land on a peninsula facing east; where the sun rises. It is noteworthy to remind you that the sun rises on the east and does not set; a symbolic direction as the principal dislikes sunsets for their symbolic meaning _ that things have come to an end. The sunrise symbolizes continuation, eternity, new birth, and perhaps to some who believe in this reincarnation.
I suppose this is one of those situations where a reverse mortgage would be the way to go.
[Yatzer via Japanator and Super Punch]
