Abstract
We can find the remarkable characteristics in houses of Hokkaido in aspects of plan type and house form. Those are shaped on the nature condition and the living style peculiar to the region. It seems that the house is very different from that of the warm-mild regions in Japan. The object of this paper is to clarify the characteristics and some problems on planning. The main features are as follows. 1. The house plan of Hokkaido is simple in form and the openings are relatively small as a whole. That is, the house is rather closed to exterior than Japanese traditional house, which is wide open to exterior. 2. The passage space in the house is small and to the contrary the dwelling space is large in comparison with that of other regions. And so the plan type is very compact. 3. Most of houses in Hokkaido have a large-sized living room which is about the size of 10〜12 "Jo" (number of Tatami). This room is significant for the living in winter, and so many dwellers demand the enlargement of space. 4. We can find the typical plan type that the rooms are arranged around the living room and those rooms are directly joined with it. This plan type is closely related to the heating method and lilving style in Hokkaido. It is necessary to consider the typical planning system introducing the principle of forming space like this and to establish the housing style suitable for the snowy-cold region.
