The irregular-shaped site is situated in a congested residential district in Tokyo, and its ground level is lower by 1.5 meters than the frontal road.
We start from the client’s first request; to provide a car parking space in front of the house. Car parking is located adjacent to the front road. And by using metal mesh panels on the floor of the parking, it transmits light to the underground light well serving the first floor space.
The house is an irregular polyhedron volume, and is composed of three floors; the first floor is lower than the road by 1.5 meters. Two bedrooms and bathroom are located there and the whole space is illuminated by light well. The second floor is allocated for the family living room, with a large window overlooking the city. And the loft level above the living room is another bedroom.
In terms of interior design, there are two characteristic design features; one is ‘suspended furniture’, which is a dining table suspended from the ceiling. Without legs it allows for convenience and maximum use of space. The second feature is the irregular-shaped and carefully manipulated ceiling plane, which gives a dramatic visual effect so that the space appears more spacious than reality.
We needed to work with restricted budget; however by working closely with the client we successfully achieved a comfortable living environment while keeping the construction cost as low as possible. Structure and insulation are given the top priority, and interior finishes are simplified so that it adapts more easily to changes of the family structure in the future.
