Plus House

Making a bold yet calming statement in the landscape, this house presents a refined look using a mix of our Suyaki® Tung oil with charred rich texture, Gendai® Alkyd Black with a deep matte surface with subtle detail, and Gendai Alkyd Light gray providing contrast and unique depth to the design. The Plus house was designed by Eric Höweler, co-founder with J. Meejin Yoon, of Höweler + Yoon Architecture, who envisioned this residence as an elemental form that would organize the landscape that surrounds it.

Built for a family of five with three teenage daughters, the plus shape allows each wing to have its own orientation and its own views. It is also aligned to the cardinal directions, serving as an orientation point, and a way to connect to the movement of the sun. As light shifts across the day, the yakisugi siding reveals a dynamic range of tones and textures, an effect that echoes Junichirō Tanizaki’s reflections on shadow and subtlety in In Praise of Shadows, where the architect found the inspiration to select our wood.