This house for a young married couple is built on a long and thin site with frontage of 2.9m and depth of 16m, which was left over as a result of road expansion. By making use of the long depth of the building, relationship with the interior space and the exterior is intended to be made, which could be possible only with a 2.7m frontage.
The structure consists of 8 pillars that lift the concrete box. The first floor can be used flexibly, and the second floor is a private space. South, North, and West sides of the site are open and natural light hits from many directions. Taking advantage of this condition, windows are installed to all four sides of the building. Entering to the floor that connects to the ground, the space feels like inside a cave, with tall walls and large pillars. However, as it goes further inside, windows get closer, and the space feels closer to outside. The relationship between the inside space and outside can be controlled by placements of the floors and windows, which is making the living space free an open planned. In contrast to the first floor, windows, and ceiling height of the second floor is limited to create a cozy space. The intention was to create a state in which these two spaces correspond and complement each other.
In this house with frontage of 2700mm, the moving space is also a living space, and scatted furniture and floor level differences provide ambiguity to the space. Space by the kitchen can be a dining area, a space bit far away from there can be a hallway, and then a living area. In this way, there is no clear separation of the space, but it interacts with each other, and the experience continues further to the outside.
Because of the minimal frontage, the building can take outside environment directly to inside, making soft atmosphere inside even though its structure is made from strong concrete. Atmosphere inside of the box changes in various way by embracing weather, temperature, and natural light.
This building is composed by simple geometry, yet with a floating heavy looking mass that creates seemingly uneasy appearance. The gaps in this building, as if it was pierced by braking part of the box is letting strong appearance of the house that protects living from outside environment and rich expressions created in internal space by flexibly taking in outside elements to coexist. Even though it’s built in a small site in urban area, it is possible to create feeling of openness and richness beyond the actual size of it just by adjusting levels and relationships with outside space. This house shapes possibility and hope in such way.
2700
Project location: Saitama, Japan
Lead Architects: IGArchitects Masato Igarashi
Architecture Firm: IGArchitects
Firm Location: Saitama, Japan
Design Team: IGArchitects
Clients: Yusuke Ando
Engineering: Structure: Yousuke Misaki EQSD
Collaborators: production hardware: Susumu Murata KAMO CRAFT
Construction: Toru Inagaki YASUGORO INAGAKI Inc.
Construction System: Concrete
Finishes: Concrete, Glass
Gross Built Area: 65.20㎡
Completion Year: September,2023
Photo credits: Ooki Jingu
