Description

Urban context

The two-story volume, which is structured to form a courtyard, is situated in a
quiet residential neighborhood of Tokyo that is characterized by small buildings
and fields used for agriculture. The deep lot is accessed from the south and to
the north is bounded by the bank of a small river. In a matrix of built and
landscaped elements, the rhythmically varied offsets result in flowing sequences
of clearly demarcated exterior and interior spaces. Located near the Kunitachi
College of Music, the project provides living space for musicians and integrates
a “piano space” into each private unit.

Ground-floor zone

A public path, from which smaller paths branch out and lead to the entrances to
the private units, connects the parking lot to the south and the café on the
bank of the river to the north. All the units are accessed directly from
outside. The steps on the facade provide access to units on the upper floors and
at the same time create a protected space in front of the entrance area of the
lower units. The winding arrangement of the spatial modules and the carefully
formulated threshold and transition spaces result in private niches within
public space. The ground floor is also elevated several steps above the
surrounding terrain to preserve the private sphere.

Building structure

The project plays with the ambiguity of spatial breadth and narrowness. The
permeable structure houses fifteen residential units on two floors and a café.
The staggering of space results in apartments with views in multiple directions.
Despite the proximity to neighbors, every apartment has a protected, intimate
area. The residential units have small, separated terraces that are integrated
into the building.

Facade

The staggered arrangement of the openings in the perforated facades both protects
the private units from all-too-curious gazes and results in ever new visual
relationships between the interior of the apartments and the space of the
surrounding landscape. Generous windows help integrate the exterior landscape
into the interior domestic ambience.

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Originally published in: Ulrike Wietzorrek, Housing+: On Thresholds, Transitions, and Transparencies, Birkhäuser, 2014.