Black house in Tokyo by Level Architects reveals little to its neighbours

Japanese studio Level Architects squeezed this all-black house onto a narrow plot in Tokyo‘s Fukasawa district, adding sloping offset walls around the lower floors to protect residents’ privacy (+ slideshow).

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

Confronted with a long, narrow site measuring 4.6 by 17.3 metres, Level Architects‘ main concern was to create a sense of spaciousness and introduce natural light to the four-storey interior of House in Fukasawa. But this had to be done without allowing other people to see inside.

House-in-Fukasawa-by-LEVEL-Architects_dezeen_3sqa

“Rather than allowing the constraining width of the plot to be felt, the goal was to create the illusion of an open connection with the surrounding area while still instilling the sense of privacy desired by most home owners within Tokyo,” said the architect.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

Privacy is achieved through the windowless surfaces of the two long facades. Walls also extend from the lower storeys on the building’s shorter sides to restrict views of the interior from the surrounding streets.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

The sloping roofline at the rear of the property was dictated by local building regulations, while an inclined wall above the garage allows eastern light to enter the open-plan first floor and blocks direct light from the setting sun.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

A skylight at the centre of the house creates a bright area over a white-painted iron staircase that extends between all four storeys. Featuring suspended treads and minimal balustrades, it allows daylight to permeate the lower floors.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

The house’s living spaces are all located on the first floor. A double-height living room with full-height windows and a terrace deliberately contrasts with the low-ceilings of the space containing the kitchen and dining area.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

Bench seating surrounds two sides of the living room, while a stepped unit mounted on the other wall creates a desk and shelving which continues onto the raised level that leads to the kitchen.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

The ceiling heights of the two bedrooms above differ due to the changes in the height of the spaces below. One also opens out to a secluded balcony.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

A narrow loft creates a quiet study at the very top of the house, while the ground floor accommodates bathrooms, a garage and traditional Japanese room lined with tatami mats.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

Here’s some project text from the architects:


House in Fukasawa, Tokyo, Japan

Located in a quiet neighbourhood where the average house is 2 stories high, the site has a narrow dimension of 4.6 meters wide and 17.3 meters long; very typical of a Tokyo city centre lot. Though the site is narrow, the length of the site created a focal point in the design. Rather than allowing the constraining width of the plot to be felt, the goal was to create the illusion of an open connection with the surrounding area while still instilling the sense of privacy desired by most home owners within Tokyo.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects

In order to create that sense of privacy, a wall design was incorporated on the North and South sides of the home. The southern wall is cut away in a manner which allows the eastern light to fill the interior of the house, but at the same time shield the inhabitants from the harsh rays of the setting sun. The northern wall is utilised as a reflecting board by capturing the southern light and brightening the interior, all the way down to the first floor where light is hardest to reach.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects
Floor plans – click for larger image

The second floor level, which is completely open and connected, utilises a very high ceiling for the living room and a low ceiling for the kitchen to differentiate space. The living room is also designed with a set of steps running around three sides of the room to create a built-in sofa and activity space where cushions can be placed, amplifying the sense of openness. The centre of the house hosts an iron staircase and top light which allows for light to filter down through the house, generating unique atmospheres which separate the individual spaces.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects
Section – click for larger image

The third floor is broken up by different room heights as a result of the design of the second level but which is all connected around the staircase. The Master Bedroom incorporates a slanted ceiling, a result of the setback code common around the city of Tokyo, but which adds a unique element to the room. The loft space opens up to the stairwell, exposing the room to the indirect light coming down from the ceiling window.

House in Fukasawa by LEVEL Architects
Elevations – click for larger image

The design adjustments made in the section planning of the house emphasised the idea of a long house, one which generates a creative use of line-of-sight and height differentiations to create the sense of a house larger than its narrow width.

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Metal-clad house in Japan by Eto Kenta conceals its garden

Japanese architect Eto Kenta has hidden a narrow garden behind the metal-clad exterior of this house in Ōita Prefecture, Japan (+ slideshow).

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

The two-storey house is situated on the border between a residential neighbourhood and a grassy plain, so Eto Kenta designed a building that is closed at the front and open at the back, and named it Cave.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

To the street, the building presents a wall with only two openings – a large high-level window allowing light to permeate the garden tucked behind and a doorway leading to the entrance. In this way, the facade protects the interior from prying eyes.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

The narrow garden sits directly behind the wall, ahead of a large room that functions as a living space and kitchen for the family.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

“Raising a large opening on the south side allows lighting and ventilation into the house, but also ensures privacy from the neighbouring houses,” said Kenta.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

Sliding walls allow the living room to open out to the secluded garden. These are mirrored by a row of rear windows that slide back to reveal the interior to the field beyond.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

“By operating the opening and closing in relation to the outer and inner space, we create both open and private places,” said Kenta.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

A lightweight steel staircase leads up to the first floor, where three rooms sit alongside one another to create a series of bedrooms.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

Two of these bedrooms feature windows overlooking the garden, while the third opens out to a patio contained behind the walls.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan

A second patio is located at the back and a small study provides residents with a quiet workspace facing out over the fields.

Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan
Concept diagram
Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan
Site plan
Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan
Ground floor plan
Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan
First floor plan
Cave by Eto Kenta Atelier Architects in Japan
Section

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Curving concrete creates a tunnel through Tokyo house by Makiko Tsukada

A concrete tunnel slices through the base of this Tokyo house by Japanese architect Makiko Tsukada, creating a round hole in the facade that reveals the underside of a staircase (+ slideshow).

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

Makiko Tsukada designed Tunnel House for a site facing a T-junction, so her concept was to produce a form that appears as a continuation of the road. The result is a curving container that cuts through the entire ground floor.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

“Our design intention is to provide a visual extension of the street on the site so that it creates a virtual crossroads,” said Tsukada.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

The rest of the house is planned around the tunnel, creating a series of unusual features that include a floating steel floor, a dining table beneath a staircase, a triple-height courtyard and a bedroom without a ceiling.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

The architect categorises these spaces as uchi, which means “in the tunnel”, and soto, which means “out of the tunnel”.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

“One of the visitors’ comments was that ‘tunnel-uchi’ and ‘tunnel-soto’ betray one’s sense of space, as one feels like being outside while actually being inside the house,” she explained.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

A glazed wall exposes the full outline of the tunnel from the house’s entrance. Inside, the structure is revealed to be wrapping around a pair of lidless boxes that contain the main bedroom and bathroom.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

“From the bedroom box, one can see the view of the entire ‘tunnel-uchi’ space as if seeing an exterior view from a rooftop,” said Tsukada.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

Two double-height spaces behind the curving concrete accommodate a small study and a toilet. Glass doors lead out from spaces into the simple courtyard, which is sandwiched in between.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

A staircase leads up onto the top of the tunnel, which doubles as a mezzanine walkway. Residents can then access a guest bedroom and dining room, located on the suspended steel floor that provides the uppermost storey.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

The dining table sits over the stairwell and has a mirrored underside that creates upside-down reflections.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

Photography is by Shinkenchiku-sha.

Read on for a project description from Makiko Tsukada:


Tunnel House

The site is at the end of a T-junction. Our design intention is to provide a visual extension of the street on the site so that it creates a virtual cross road. The interior space and the exterior space are connected by carving out a part of the volume along the extended axis of the street. The tunnel-like configuration is intended to activate both “uchi” (in the tunnel) and “soto” (out of the tunnel) spaces.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

The open side of the quarter cylinder is enclosed by glass. The “tunnel-uchi” comprises two small boxes containing a bedroom and a bathroom respectively. The bedroom is enclosed by screen-like partitions and its ceiling is open. From the bedroom box, one can see the view of the entire “tunnel-uchi” space from there as if seeing an exterior view from a rooftop.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

The opening at the side of the tunnel is connected to the “tunnel-soto” space. “Tunnel-soto” space is an interior space where the light that is cascading down along the tunnel surface from the oblong top light and the light coming down from the courtyard intersect each other three-dimensionally.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

When going up the stairs, one can see the entire “tunnel-soto” space. From the gap of the floating steel floor, one can see the reflected image of “tunnel-soto” space on the mirrored surface on the rear side of the tabletop on the second floor. The floating steel floor and the super-thin 6mm thick table give the space a surreal atmosphere of floating and expansion, while creating a sharp contrast with the immense volume of the tunnel.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

One of the visitors’ comments was that “tunnel-uchi” space and “tunnel-soto” spaces betray one’s sense of space, as one feels like being outside while actually being inside the house. By experiencing repeated reversals of the interior and the exterior spaces (betrayed feelings), one probably can feel a sense of expansion and openness in this tunnel house.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada

Location: Suginami-ku, Tokyo
Structure: Reinforced Concrete and Steel
Principal Use: Residence, Office
Site Area: 82.39m2
Total Floor Area: 87.17m2 (43.65m2/1F, 43.52m2/2F)
Structural Engineer: Taizen Nieda and Taizo Komatsu

Ground floor plan of Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
First floor plan of Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada
First floor plan – click for larger image
Second floor of Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada
Second floor plan – click for larger image

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House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura hides a garage and balcony behind its walls

This metal-clad house in Chiba, Japan, was designed by architect Yuji Kimura to fill its site, meaning a car-parking space and balcony had to be slotted within its boxy volume (+ slideshow).

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

Yuji Kimura gave House in Chiba a galvanised steel exterior, punctuated by an assortment of square windows. A mesh door slides open to reveal the parking space in one corner, while a secluded balcony is located directly above.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

The balcony is enclosed on all sides, but open to the sky. It also has a mesh floor, which allows light to enter both of the house’s two storeys.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

“[The house] was planned to be a shape that surrounds the entire site, provided that the balcony and parking lot also serve as lighting,” said Kimura.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

Residents enter the house through the garage, which leads through to bedroom and bathroom spaces on the ground floor. According to Kimura, these spaces require the least natural light.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

Living, dining and kitchen areas occupy one double-height space on the level above so they can receive the most sunlight. Glass screens slide back to open this space out to the balcony.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

The kitchen features a stainless steel counter, while the living space is filled with furniture on wheels that allows the occupants to easily change the layout.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

A ladder provides access to a mezzanine loft that, like the rest of the house, features wooden flooring. The architect expects this to be used for storage.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

Here’s a description from Yuji Kimura Design:


House in Chiba

This house has the appearance of a simple box, shaped like a factory, where large and small square holes create a visual rhythm that opens at random. The site is located in a corner lot where the two roads of a quiet residential area of Chiba Prefecture where suburbs cross.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

The request from the owner when planning:
1. Bright and Large Living
2. Balcony with Privacy
3. Simple and appearance like a factory

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

In order to secure privacy, the house takes in light from the road side with no obstacles. It was planned to be a shape that surrounds the entire site, provided that the balcony and parking lot also serves as a lighting.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

Since the whole is a simple big box-shaped, by setting the bare dare joints such as bolts and rail, a garage gate and gate is prevented from too much minimal. Moreover, the arrangement of square holes of various sizes, such as are open to random, the opening is making a visual rhythm.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

A bedroom being only the sleeping purpose and spending most of time in living and dining room, a bedroom and a bathroom were placed in the first floor, a dining room and a living room were placed in the sunniest place of the second floor. Provided with a large opening in the living room, so that is out on the balcony.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

There is also a sliding door with storage space in the kitchen back side, refrigerator, washing machine, household goods are placed in it.
The atrium part, by providing a loft that can be up and down the ladder, and in consideration for storage.

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design

Location: Chiba, Japan
Design: Yuji Kimura Design
Site area: 84.10 sqm
Building area: 41.13 sqm
Total area: 82.26 sqm
Structure: timber

House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design
First floor plan – click for larger image
House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design
Long section – click for larger image
House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design
Cross sections – click for larger image
House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design
Front elevation – click for larger image
House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design
Side elevations – click for larger image
House in Chiba by Yuji Kimura Design
Rear elevation – click for larger image

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House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

Pointed doorways and openings throughout this house in Kyoto, Japan, were designed by Alts Design Office to mimic the building’s gabled profile (+ slideshow).

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

Named Hazukashi House, the two-storey family residence was designed by local firm Alts Design Office to provide a family home. It is fronted by a white-rendered facade with a shallow-pitched roof.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

Due to its narrow width, the building appears disproportionally tall. The architects chose to emphasise this characteristic by creating doorways, windows and shelving units that all share similar proportions.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

The house centres around a double-height dining room, which is visually connected to every other room. The walls are lined with timber panels and a wooden staircase folds around one corner.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

“This is the space which connects the family’s bonds and also achieves dynamic functions,” explained architects Sumiou Mizumoto and Yoshitaka Kuga.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

“It captures the light and diverse wind, while taking advantage of the antique material the client demanded,” they added.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

A mezzanine corridor overlooks the space from a storey above, linking children’s rooms at the back with a master bedroom and study at the front. This is flanked by a square grid of bookshelves.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

On the ground floor, a living room is situated at the front and residents have to step up to it from the dining room.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

A kitchen positioned on the opposite side is divided into two sections by a built-in worktop, so a parent preparing dinner can keep an eye on children sitting at a counter beyond.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office

Light bulbs hang low from the ceiling on cables to direct light onto surfaces. Others are fixed to the walls and angled in different directions.

House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office
First floor plan – click for larger image
House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office
Section
House-shaped doorways puncture Hazukashi House by Alts Design Office
Elevation

 

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Charred timber clads walls of Okazaki House by MDS

Charred cedar clads the walls of this house in Aichi, Japan, by architecture studio MDS, while exposed wooden beams create a rack-like effect on the underside of the diagonally slanted roof.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

Like many houses owned by young families in Japan, Okazaki House was built on the same site as the residence of the client’s parents.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

Tokyo-based studio MDS used a traditional charring technique known as Yakisugi to blacken the cedar planks used for the building’s exterior, helping to protect the building from decay.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

The site naturally slopes down from one side to the other, so the architects created a single-storey dwelling containing a series of tiered levels.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

An entrance leads into the house at the uppermost level, where the living room is located. The floor then steps down to create a dining room in the middle and a kitchen at the lowest level.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

“This enables people to maintain the same level of eyesight, and retains an exquisite sense of distance,” said the architects, explaining how they wanted to maintain an open-plan atmosphere.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

Pendant lamps hang down from between the ceiling beams to illuminate worktops and seating areas, while a piece of built-in furniture provides shelving and a desk.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

A small courtyard with a tree at its centre cuts into the volume of the building, separating living spaces from the master bedroom.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

A second bedroom and bathroom are tucked away on one side and residents have to step down again to access them.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

Polished oak floorboards run throughout the house, while latticed wooden screens can be used to partition spaces when required.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

Photography is by Forward Stroke Inc.

Here’s a project description from the architects:


Okazaki House

The generation gap has become a problem in Japan in recent years. There are an increasing number of two-family homes, as well as houses built on the lots of parents’ houses. This house is one of the latter. Although the residents are parents and child, solicitude should be expressed with this not-so-large site.

Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd

This house is a one-storey building with a shed roof, which lowers the roof height on the side of the parents’ house, resulting in wide views maintained with open sky from the parents’ house.

For the interior space, the shape of the large shed roof is directly exposed, and two angled walls (canted walls) are placed in this open-space. This simple design creates various interior spaces in both plan and cross-section. The floor levels of the rooms are decided based on the ground height around the building, and are planned to utilise the height differences.

Ground floor plan of Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

The site is sloped from north to south, and the west side, where the parents’ house stands, is lower. The main bedroom is located at the highest part of the site, the north-east side; across from a central courtyard, the level gradually slopes towards the south, from the living room, to the dining room and to the kitchen. This enables people to maintain the same level of eyesight, and retains an exquisite sense of distance.

Roof plan of Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd
Roof plan – click for larger image

For the framework of the roof, standard cedar lumber of 120x120mm, which is commonly sold on the market, is used. Instead of using custom sizes or laminated wood, the lumber is alternately laid over the beams within the maximum standard length of 6m, and is crisscrossed at the upper part of the canted walls that roughly divide the interior. This creates an impressive ceiling surface as well as functioning as the roof framework.

Section of Okazaki House by MDS Co. Ltd
Section – click for larger image

Company name: MDS Co.Ltd
Architecture: Kiyotoshi Mori & Natsuko Kawamura / MDS
Location: Okazaki-City, Aichi
Principal Use: residence

Structure: wood
Site Area: 213.74 sqm
Total Floor Area: 98.17 sqm /1F
Exterior finish: yakisugi / cedar forms exposed concrete
Roof: galvanised colour steel sheet standing-seam roofing
Floor: oak flooring
Wall: plasterer
Ceiling: oregon pine of 120 x 120 mm

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Katsutoshi Sasaki’s Imai house is just three metres wide

Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates built this unusually skinny house on a three-metre-wide site in a residential district of Aichi Prefecture, Japan (+ slideshow).

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

To accommodate for its narrow width, the two-storey Imai house stretches out along most of the 21-metre-long plot. There was no room for corridors, so the interior is arranged as a simple sequence of rooms, one after another.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

Japanese studio Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates adapted the proportions of each space to suit its function, so the living room features a double-height ceiling while the children’s sleeping space is a 1.3-metre-high loft.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

“We adopted a way to construct a house by reinterpreting scale, natural light, and the use of each room,” said the architects.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

The ground floor is recessed to make room for a sheltered driveway at the front of the plot. Here, a wall slides open to lead into a kitchen and dining room that takes up most of the ground floor.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

A wooden staircase spirals up toward the living room, located at the centre of the first floor, while a second set of steps angles up to meet a secluded roof terrace at the front of the house.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

This terrace is fronted by large panels of glazing, which help to bring natural light and ventilation into the living room from above.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

There wasn’t enough space on the site to create a separate garden, so the architects also added a small indoor patio at the rear of the ground floor, featuring a wall that slides open.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

A long narrow space between the living room and master bedroom functions as a children’s room. The sleeping space is raised up from the floor and includes an assortment of small square windows, while built-in shelves create a study desk along the opposite wall.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

According to the architects, the rooms could become interchangeable. “The space setting becomes neutral; you can sleep, dine or relax whenever you like. For example, dining in the inner garden may be more enjoyable than in the dining room,” they said.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

Photography is by the architects.

Here’s a project description from Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates:


Imai

A house built on a narrow strip of land of 3m wide and 21m long. For this ground that looks too long and tight, we adopted a way to construct a house by reinterpreting scale, natural light, and the use of each room. Instead of setting one concept to design it, we made five specific proposals.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

1: Balancing of scale and light

Height of each room is adjusted according to the number of users and the use of the room. For example, children’s bedroom is 1.3m high while the living room is 4.4m. The room used by one person has limited natural light while the space people gather is much brighter. Balancing of scale and light brings a character to simple one room.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

2: Exterior on the edge

The ground was too narrow to allow any space for garden, so we set an inner garden at the end of the ground floor and a terrace on the north end of the second floor. High window in the living room is designed not only to let in light, but also to provide ventilation route in summer to discharge the heat accumulated up on the ceiling plane.

Katsutoshi Sasaki's Imai house is just three metres wide

3: Dismantling

By dismantling living room and dining room, we avoided large area concentrated to one place. As these spaces that have public nature are dispersed, lines of flow work effectively. Also, by de-concentrating the factors required to children’s room such as sleep, storage or study, we can reduce the floor space of children’s bedroom while sharing space for other functions of storage and study by entire family.

ImaI by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates_dezeen_18
Plans – click for larger image

4: Unrestricting

We suggested the way of living to utilise the space other than wet areas (kitchen, bathroom etc) without restricting its purpose. In some, the space setting becomes neutral; you can sleep, dine or relax whenever you like. For example, dining in inner garden may be more enjoyable than in dining room.

ImaI by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates_dezeen_17
Section – click for larger image

5: Overlapping

By overlapping multiple uses on one space, efficiency of floor space is improved. Corridor as desk space, inner garden as dining or guest room, and so on. This narrow and long building that could be described as all lines of flow, is designed as functional, effective and liberating space by applying these operations.

ImaI by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates_dezeen_16
Cross sections – click for larger image

Project name: Imai
Location: Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
Site area: 71.19 sqm
Built area: 42.64 sqm
Total floor area: 69.49 sqm
Type of construction: wooden, steel
Exterior materials: Metal finish
Interior materials: paint finish
Design team: Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Structure company : Tatsumi Terado Structural Studio
Construction company: Inoue construction Ltd.

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Criss-crossing wooden beams fill a void inside Studio Aula’s Cocoon House

A grid of chunky timber beams criss-crosses a void between the ground and first floors to allow light to circulate in this Studio Aula-designed house in Shiojiri, Japan (+ slideshow).

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

The client asked local firm Studio Aula to design a house in a typical urban neighbourhood that integrates traditional Japanese elements and makes the most of the existing garden.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

A narrow plot informed the elongated footprint of the building, which also incorporates a ground-floor bedroom that projects out in front to accommodate the client’s elderly mother.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

This bedroom helps to shield a secluded garden containing an old pine tree, as well as a series of stepping stones that create a pathway to the front door.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

The entrance sits on a raised concrete plinth, which also supports a small wooden deck sheltered beneath a balcony and the house’s eaves.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

A sliding door with vertical slits allows light and breezes to enter the interior and leads to a long corridor lined on one side with built-in storage.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

The corridor continues from the entrance past the living area to a covered porch and parking space at the back of the property.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

As the rear of the property faces a road, the architects built a storage space with a wall of slatted timber that references traditional Japanese screens and restricts views from the street.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

“We created a multipurpose entrance to the north and the south garden that functions as a corridor and a storage space but also becomes a public space to connect inside with outside and to greet visitors,” the architects explained.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

On the other side of the corridor is the open-plan living, kitchen and dining area, which can be screened off from the hallway by sliding across a door fitted with translucent panels.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

The solid wooden beams form a geometric grid above this space, supporting bedrooms on the first floor.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

Light enters this floor through windows and glazed balcony doors. It permeates the central void and the slatted balustrades and floors surrounding it.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

Floors and ceilings throughout the house are made from wood that complements the structural beams and columns and provides a warm contrast to the grey tiles of the entrance corridor and the white walls.

Cocoon House by Studio Aula

Photography is by Ippei Shinzawa.

Ground floor plan of Cocoon House by Studio Aula
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
First floor plan of Cocoon House by Studio Aula
First floor plan – click for larger image
Elevation one of Cocoon House by Studio Aula
Front and side elevations – click for larger image
Elevation two of Cocoon House by Studio Aula
Rear and side elevations – click for larger image

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Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

The three-layered facade of this riverside house in Tsukubamirai, Japan, was intended by local studio Kichi Architectural Design to reference rippling water (+ slideshow).

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

Named Ripple, the three-storey family home has a blank white facade comprising three windowless walls,  which incrementally increase in size. Once conceals a balcony, while another screens the house’s entrance.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

“The facade which consists of three white outer walls, is suggestive of triple ripples on the surface of the river,” said Naoyuki Kikkawa, architect and co-founder of Kichi Architectural Design.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

The house is set back from the nearby river and is surrounded by cherry blossom trees, which the architect says are typical of this area.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

“It is a house that enables its residents to live closely with the cherry trees which manifest all kinds of expressions with the changing of the seasons in Japan,” he said.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

The house has a long and narrow plan, with a semi-enclosed courtyard at its centre and a sheltered patio at the back.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

Unlike the austere street facade, the rear elevation is fully glazed to bring light into the building and offer residents views out towards the river.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

“Based on the shape of the site, one that stretches in a narrow strip toward the cherry trees, I conceived the shape of the house, a U-shaped one, so that every one of its rooms would fully benefit from the light,” said Kikkawa.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

The house’s living, dining and kitchen areas occupy one room at the rear of the house. A void in the floorplate overhead creates a double-height space along one edge, while the sheltered patio provides an outdoor dining area.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

A lightweight steel staircase leads up to bedrooms and bathrooms on the first floor, then continues up to one of two lofts on the level above.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

The second loft sits above the children’s bedroom at the front of the house and can be accessed via a pair two ladders. Glass doors also open the space out to the balcony in front.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

Kichi Architectural Design is led by Naoyuki Kikkawa and partner Manami Kikkawa. The studio also recently completed the cube-shaped House of Kubogaoka and a converted farmyard barn named Scandinavian Middle.

Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design

Photography is by Ippei Shinzawa.

Ground floor plan of Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
First floor plan of Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design
First floor plan – click for larger image
Section of Three white walls front Ripple house by Kichi Architectural Design
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Hinanai Village House opens out to a scenic mountain landscape

Huge sliding doors at the front and rear of this weekend house in rural Hiroshima allow residents to open out their timber-lined living spaces to the scenic mountain landscape (+ slideshow).

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

Designed by Japanese studios DYGSA and Koura Architects, Hinanai Village House was constructed from wood and positioned at the peak of its hilly site to take advantage of the panoramic scenery.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

A concrete driveway leads up to the house from the adjacent road, arriving at an door within a timber panel. Not only does the door hinge open to create a simple entrance, but the entire panel slides across to reveal that the concrete surface extends right through the building.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

“When you open the front door you get the feeling as if the inside space is the continuation of the outside one, and that makes it possible to bring the outdoor activities inside,” explained DYGSA principal Dominik Yoshiya Setoguchi.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

The single-storey house has a square-shaped plan and is separated into two sections by a split level. The concrete floor runs along one side to create an entrance lobby and a living room, while a wooden platform creates a step up for kitchen and dining areas.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

Floor-to-ceiling windows along the rear elevation open all of these spaces out to the landscape. “The glass doors’ frame acts as a picture frame with the natural landscape in it,” added the architect.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

A partition wall runs diagonally through the building, screening bedroom and bathroom spaces along one wall, but also helping to widen views through the rear windows.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

Views of the countryside can also be enjoyed from the bath, which has been placed in a corner room with two glass walls.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

Timber walls and ceilings are left exposed throughout the interior, while the four outer walls are each treated different differently, displaying a mixture of black, white and exposed timber surfaces.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

Photography is by dygsa.

Here’s the project text sent by Koura Architects:


Hinanai Village House

This is a house in Hiroshima, Japan. The house is ideally suited for the client’s family of four – parents and two kids – with the purpose of spending weekends in the natural environment. It is situated on the top of a hill with the spectacular view over the surrounding area.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

The one-storey house is in the shape of a square with sides that are 9.5m long. It stands on the front edge of the lot of about 2000 square metres, so the facade of the house shuts out the sight of the garden from the side of the road.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

The main partition wall meets the ends at angles 80 and 100 degrees, which widens the view from the inside into the outside and raises awareness about the natural surroundings.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

The path made of concrete and leading to the front wooden sliding door stretches to the inside space and reaches the glass sliding doors on the opposite side of the house. So when you open the front door, you get the feeling as if the inside space is the continuation of the outside one, and that makes it possible to bring the outdoor activities inside.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

The line of the inside concrete path focuses on the old red pine tree in the garden. Thus, the glass doors’ frame acts as a picture frame with the natural landscape in it. Moreover, on opening the inside sliding doors separating the wooden floor space and the concrete floor space, you get one spacious room.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

In this way the ordinary and extraordinary activities blend in one splendid hybrid space.

Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects

Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Principal use: house
Structure: wood
Number of storeys: 1 above ground
Site area: 2001.45 sqm
Building area: 91.30 sqm
Total floor area: 91.30 sqm
Collaboration: Koura Architects
Contractor: Fuji Construction

Floor plan of Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects
Floor plan – click for larger image
Elevation of Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects
Rear elevation – click for larger image
Elevation two of Hinanai Village House by Koura Architects
Side elevation – click for larger image

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