Vanilla
Hiroyuki Hirai

A description of the project Vanilla

October as Architects

A historical ideal-type of urban house


Near to train station (15min walk max), very small but expensive, cars must be parked within (because it is also very expensive to rent a space for cars) ; these are typical conditions of sites in Tokyo metropolitan region for corporate employees who want to buy lands and build their own houses. Fire protection construction is required if a site is near to train stations. Ground condition may be bad if a land is newly developed. In the end, the budgets for their houses become very limited.


Since the 20th century, what is called “the masses” has been the biggest client for art and culture. Architecture has been slightly exceptional (in terms of “not familiar”) ; but in the last 15 years, the development of internet (and increase of general interest magazines introducing architects’ designed houses) has changed the situation. Architects are now friendly to the people. The people become not hesitate to ask designing their own small houses. Our clients are neither kings nor nobles. We are not designing Palazzo or Villa.


The site of VANILLA locates in Kanagawa Prefecture which is the west of Tokyo. It is of the condition as the above. And especially budget was really limited (17,400,000 Japanese Yen, half of our average). We thought that this was very typical of the historical condition in the capitalist society nowadays. Under the conditions we had to realize that spatial concepts or contextual concepts did not work. To say more accurately, any costly concepts could not be employed. This may be the essential condition of the contemporary houses for the majority.


Add to bad ground condition and fire protection construction, the client wanted two cars in the site; the site is full of cars. Japan is earthquake country; so we designed a portal frame structure, including triangle form, made of light weight 75*75*6mm square steel pipes. Repeating 3times for 3stories, the house is almost completed.


This is lack of concepts or concept in itself. We thought this was a concept. What is called “function” is of economy and economy is of history. What we did is just following the conditions using available materials and obtained something naked from the conditions.


Tomomasa Ueda


Contractor:Daido Kensetu Character of Space:3 story individual house Client:Shigeyuki Kimura Occupation of the Client: Age of the Client:unknown Each Floor Area(㎡):1F: 36.58m2, 2F: 36.58m2, 3F: 36.58m2 Total Floor Area(㎡):109.74m2 Building Area(㎡):39.96m2 Site Area(㎡):70.00m2 Principal Materials:plaster board, paint Principal Structure:steel Period of Conception:12/2006 - 1/2008 Period of Construction:2/2008 - 6/2008 Location:Yokohama-city, Kanagawa

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