snow country garage

Niigata, Japan

Photo © Hirotaka Sato

Architects: Hirotaka Sato Architects

Location: Niigata, Japan
Year: 2007

A garage built in a heavy snowfall area in Niigata Prefecture. It is a two-story wooden structure, and the first floor is used as a garage for four cars, and the second floor is used as a warehouse.
The shape of this small, unique building was rationally derived to secure a parking frontage and to deal with heavy snowfall.
The frame on the short side adopts a scissor-shaped structure (scissor truss) that combines two trusses. This frame is normally used for the roof, but by using it on the vertical plane, the entire frontage becomes an opening, making it possible to smoothly move in and out of the car. The lopsided roof dumps snow into the adjacent irrigation canal, allowing it to melt naturally. In addition, the slope of the wall on the snowfall side protects the building from accumulated snow and secures passages during snowfall.