Description
Jun Tamaki’s ‘Tofu House’ is on a cramped inner-city plot in Kyoto. The natural shortage of building land necessitates particularly dense development, so houses huddle very close together in the cities. This means that occupants tend to become more introverted in their homes, searching for the greatest possible degree of protection and privacy. This could be the reason for the unusual and expressive way the space is fitted together in this little house for a married couple: all the actual living is done in the centre, and all the ancillary rooms are grouped on the periphery. The outer wall itself seems to have mutated into a layer that is actually ‘hollow’, but still seems solid. In fact Tamaki follows the idea of hierarchical zoning very consistently: the house’s enveloping, protecting character is reflected in this thick wall. ‘Living’ becomes the real and metaphorical central activity and expands within an ‘all-purpose space’ intended to be used flexibly: the access, dining, relaxing and sleeping functions together form the centre, but can be divided up as needed by two sliding membranes. One stipulation for the disposition of the space was that the floor should have no steps and the necessary ancillary rooms were to be directly attached. The whole ‘family of rooms’ was to be barrier-free, in other words usable without doors or thresholds, so Tamaki opted for sliding elements. The bathroom was provided with a steel girder that extends into the living area so that a mobile platform can be installed should it be needed.
Jun Tamaki’s design reflects the occupants‘ desire for seclusion and security to an extreme extent. His room wall encloses an area that is rounded at the corners, extending visually in a longitudinal direction. Apertures of various sizes, forming dramatically recessed light-shafts, thrust through it on all four sides. Additional niches house private reliquaries, giving the wall the enhanced status of a sheltering ‘containing sculpture’ as a result of this three-dimensional treatment.
Drawings
Position of the building amidst dense development
Axonometric diagram with the position of the main room in the centre of the house
Ground floor: Entrance with access to the central room with subdivision into entrance room, dining area, living room and bedroom; on the periphery: kitchen, cupboards, bathroom facilities, loggia, cloakroom and piano room
Cross section with room hierarchy
Photos
Exterior view from the street
Interior view of the central space
Originally published in: Klaus-Peter Gast, Living Plans: New Concepts for Advanced Housing, Birkhäuser, 2005.