House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto has a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Japanese architect Kazuhiko Kishimoto designed the ground floor of this house in Yokohama with barely any walls so it can function as a gallery and seating area for members of the local community (+ slideshow).

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Kishimoto, principal of Kanagawa studio acaa, planned the lowest level of the timber-clad Beyond The Hill house as a series of courtyards and wide staircases that stagger downwards to follow the decline of a steeply sloping site.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Wicker cushions encourage people to sit on the staircases, plus there’s also a circular hollow that allows a group to sit together and have lunch.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

According to Kishimoto, the client asked for a house that would be open to the community. “My answer to the requirement was to build the house ‘afloat’,” he explained.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

“The wood deck, tilted towards the sloped road in front of the house, creates a place where the internal and external areas of the house meet and interact,” he added.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

A square courtyard is open to the sky at the centre of the building and sits next to a glazed double-height space that functions as the informal public gallery.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath
Photograph by Ryogo Utatsu

Two staircases within the courtyard lead up to different parts of the building. The first ascends to a small office tucked into the south-east corner of the first floor, while the second leads up into the private spaces of the house.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

The kitchen is positioned next to the house’s entrance and is the largest room in the building, as it is used by one of the residents to host cookery classes.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

A wide staircase rises up from the kitchen to the second floor, which begins with a dining room. Some stairs curve outwards at the corners to form seats and one extends along the edge of the room to create a worktop.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

“In daily life, of course, the space serves as the family’s living room,” said Kishimoto.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Bedrooms are located beyond the dining room. One opens out to a balcony, while the other features a raised platform with storage spaces underneath and a ladder that offers a route up to the roof.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Photography is by Hiroshi Ueda, apart from where otherwise stated.

Here’s a project description from Kazuhiko Kishimoto:


Beyond The Hill

A gallery in the centre creating communications and connecting the house and community

The house stands on a site facing a narrow, steep slope. Across the street is a wood, which promises a pleasant view with fresh greenery in summer and crimson foliage in autumn.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

The client’s request was a residential house containing a small gallery and office. The request suggested that the house must be open to the town community. My answer to the requirement was to build the house “afloat”. To be precise, the gallery is the only grounded room, which is surrounded by a breezy and sunny wood deck raised at about 1m.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Round hollow on the deck floor accommodates a round bench, where people can sit and enjoy meals while watching over the wood view. The space may also serve as the external gallery. The wood deck, tilted towards the sloped road in front of the house, created a place where the internal and external areas of the house meet and interacts.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

The residential area and office can be approached via respective staircases. The internal space of the residential area consists of a dining kitchen on the right and facing the wood, and a floor on the left, surrounding the courtyard and spirally ascending.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

The dining kitchen has a wide counter table suitable for accommodating cooking classes the madam organises, and the uneven floor provides various corners for different number of guests to sit down. In daily life, of course, the space serves as the family’s living room.

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Location: Yokohama, Kanagawa
Date of Completion: January 2013
Principal Use: Residence, Office, Small gallery

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath

Site Area: 132.47m2
Total Floor Area: 158.39m2 (66.32m2/1F, 79.00m2/2F, 13.07m2/garage,)
Architecture: Kazuhiko Kishimoto / acaa
Structural Engineer : Takahiro Suwabe

House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath
Ground floor plan – click for larger image and key
House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath
First floor plan – click for larger image and key
House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a public seating deck and gallery underneath
Second floor plan – click for larger image and key

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Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto/acaa

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

The rear facade of this hillside house by Japanese architect Kazuhiko Kishimoto slides opens to reveal a graduated terrace with a sweeping view of the sea.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Located on a sharply inclining slope in Kanagawa, Japan, the three-storey Wind-dyed House appears from the top-floor street entrance to have only one floor.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Louvered shutters surround the glazed exterior walls and a shallow-pitched roof sits over the building on a set of wide timber eaves.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Kitchens and dining areas occupy the uppermost level, while staircases both inside and outside the house lead down to rooms on the middle floor below.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

The lowest floor is the smallest and contains just a hobby room and storage area.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Other popular Japanese houses we’ve featured recently include a spiralling house on stilts and one with three layers of walls and ceilings – see them here.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Photography is by Hiroshi Ueda.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Here’s some text from the architects:


Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Wind-dyed house

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

A residential building located halfway up a cliff, overlooking the ocean. Thick clumps of trees that grow along the slope of the land surrounding the house cast a series of organic silhouettes that make the slope seem to come alive.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

We decided that the appropriate form to build would be as low-lying as possible, while also allowing the architecture to become embedded in the surrounding landscape according to the contours of the terrain. This would allow us to minimize the impact of the building on its environment.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

The design of the walls plays an important role in creating the overall sense of presence that a building projects. As such, we also tried to prevent the walls of this house from becoming surfaces that would obstruct or impede movement and sight.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Glass and screens along the enclosed perimeter of the house gives the second floor of this residence a certain transparency. Slender, deep-set eaves cast deep shadows on the facade of the building, softening the impact of the building’s physical presence in relation to its environment.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

The various components of the building were structured in order to allow the inhabitants to enjoy a different view of the outside on each level. The first floor features a stone floor and concrete walls finished with plaster, while the Japanese paper screens fitted inside the glass reflect the shadows of plants and trees. The hard-edged surfaces and finishes coexist with the soft, muted tones of the Japanese paper.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

The second storey, in contrast, features an open-plan living space, the entirety of which can be opened up towards the ocean. A series of wide eaves stand between the outside of the house and the interior, which is articulated into smaller sections by a row of pillars.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Going down the staircase-shaped terrace allows one to gradually draw closer to the outdoor landscape. The section that divides the two different elevations on this floor provides seating throughout, functioning as a unique Japanese-style verandah (engawa).

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

A steel-reinforced concrete structure was used for the second floor, and a Vierendeel bridge structure allowed us to float a large, thin roof on top. The pillars consist of square cylindrical poles (measuring 75mm across) made of solid iron arranged in a densely packed formation using wooden modules (900 x 1800mm). By creating several areas of low-level rigidity, we were able to do away with the need for braces.

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Location: Yokosuka Kanagawa
Date of Completion: July 2011
Principal Use: Private House
Structure: RC, Steel
Site Area: 454m2
Total Floor Area: 286.93m2 (54.86m2/B1F, 131.22m2/1F, 100.85m2/2F,)

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Architecture : Kazuhiko Kishimoto / acaa

Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto:acaa

Structural Engineer: Takahiro Suwabe