Description

Urban context

The relatively low density is explained by Tokyo’s enormous expansion as a
“megalopolis with the character of a village.” In a neighborhood of densely
packed but low buildings, thirteen dispersed volumes of various layouts and
heights occupy the site, which is not much larger than the close-set
single-family-home structures of its surroundings. These freestanding steel
cubes of various sizes and featuring enormous windows house five apartments, two
kitchens and bathrooms, and a meditation room. The cubes are inserted in such a
way that the individual residential units are at times only brought together
into a unity by the shared exterior space. The boundary between public urban
space and private housing is completely eliminated.

Ground-floor zone

With its symbiosis of public, semipublic, and private space, this complex
symbolizes the desire to “bring the city home.” The “house as small city” is a
metaphor that can be traced back to Alberti, and this project translated it into
architecture with minimalist means. A landscape of paths, plazas, and niches
branches out between the cubes, flowing on all sides unobstructed into the
public lanes of the neighborhood. Even within the project, a perplexing lack of
barriers dominates: in some cases the kitchen and bathroom can only be reached
via an open courtyard. Landscape, city, and house become indistinguishable.

Building structure

Inside the boxes are five compact minimum dwellings, ranging from sixteen to
thirty square meters and in some cases stacked; each has its own garden. The
individual one- to three-story containers, with steel walls just six centimeters
thick, contain various living functions such as kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or
office, which can be opened onto the exterior through generous openings. The
entire site is inhabited as a spatial continuum of inside and outside.

Facade

Despite the “public” character of living here, a certain protection from views
into the units was a consideration. Plants, roof terraces, and the placement of
several rooms below ground do make some niches available for private retreat.
The cubes provide a protective space against the effects of weather and prying
eyes from outside. The generous glass openings of the cubes are staggered in
space. Residents control their private sphere by means of curtains.

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