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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.

HAT house in Tokyo, Japan by APOLLO Architects & Associates

 
September 7th, 2016 by Sumit Singhal

Article source: APOLLO Architects & Associates

The client is a couple in their 50s and both work full-time. Their plan was to rebuild their parents’ house in the urban area in order to live with their mother. The site is located in a dense residential area where one can find the remnant of good old days of Tokyo. In order to prepare for possible natural disasters in the future, the couple wished to build a house of reinforced concrete box frame construction with high resistance to fire and earthquakes. Since the site is small with a deformed shape, it was required to achieve the maximum capacity while avoiding setback-line limits on each side of the house.

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

  • Architects: APOLLO Architects & Associates (Satoshi Kurosaki)
  • Project: HAT house
  • Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
  • Photography: Masao Nishikawa
  • Structural Engineer: Nomura Structure (Nomura Motoi)
  • Mechanical Engineer: Naoki Matsumoto
  • Lighting design: SIRIUS LIGHTING OFFICE
  • Structure: Reinforced-concrete & wooden
  • Site Area: 66.95 m2
  • Total Floor Area: 78.68 m2 (40.87 m2/1F, 39.34 m2/2F, 39.34 m2/2F)
  • Design Period: October 2012 – December 2014
  • Construction Period: February 2015 – May 2016

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

One cannot have a full view of the house since it is built at the very end of a blind alley. The building consists of three stories, with two floors above ground and a basement floor, and a half of the basement floor is buried underground in order to achieve the maximum capacity by taking advantage of easing of the restrictions.

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

The outline of the deformed land was extruded three dimensionally to form the house, and the charming appearance of the exposed concrete box topped with a roof resembling a pointed hat catches the eye of passers-by.

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Their mother’s room is on the semi-basement floor, down the stairs next to the entrance in the entrance court. The entire floor plan is designed compactly: the couple’s space is on the first floor with two study rooms, for the husband and wife respectively; a bedroom between the studies; and a wet area. Although it appears rather closed from the outside, the interior space with a sense of openness with abundant natural light is achieved by providing the courtyard.

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

The family room on the second floor is shaped along the setback-line limits, and the wooden rafters are used for the roof truss instead of reinforced concrete ones, creating a unique appearance of the mixed structure.

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

One feels a distinct centripetal force in the loft-like small space with a courtyard, which somehow reminding one of a yurt, a dwelling of Mongolian nomads. The entire roof is lit up by the ambient light, creating a sense of security in such a small space, as if staying under the shelter of a big tree.

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

Image Courtesy © Masao Nishikawa

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Category: House




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