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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.

House in Takatsuki, Japan by Tato Architects

 
June 9th, 2020 by Sumit Singhal

Article source: Tato Architects

When designing a house on a site with limited space, we have recently been exploring the possibilities of a continuous floor arrangement that extends gradually over a series of stepped floors. Rather than using walls and different floor levels to clearly divide the space into various functions, everything loosely connects and disconnects from each other through stepped floors. The idea is to create a sense of expansion inside a small house, so that you would find yourself on top of a rooftop in one moment, and tucked beneath a floor in another.

West side appearance, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

  • Architects: Tato Architects
  • Project: House in Takatsuki
  • Location: Takatsuki, Japan
  • Photography: Shinkenchiku Sha
  • Construction: Shokenkikaku / Naoki Sasahara
  • Structure: Main Structure, Timber
  • Site Area: 114.61㎡
  • Building Area: 46.37㎡ (40.23% of max 50% of coverage ratio permission)
  • Total Floor Area: 96.05㎡ (83.81% of max 100% of floor area ratio permission)
  • Completion: 2018

South side appearance. The diagonal roofline, decided by building height restrictions, makes the house change appearance depending on where you view it from, when standing on the road, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

This concept first came into reality with the project ​House in Miyamoto. Here, the spaces between different floor levels were left open to create a floating effect, allowing the floors to be used as desks and shelves where objects could be stored. At the same time, this design allowed us to visually emphasize the relationships between various rooms.

For this house, we used the same composition while pursuing new possibilities.

The study as seen from the entrance. The floor level skip is 690mm; it fits well with the height of furniture and functions, such as tables and shelfs. A wooden hatch on the wall opens to the mailbox, under the washbasin is storage for shoes and other possessions, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

View of the study, from the entrance, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

Due to budgeting reasons, wood was chosen for the structure, and the spaces between the floors were enclosed due to structural limitations. Unlike House in Miyamoto, the visibility within the house is limited; there is only a hint of the spaces that continue beyond one’s vision. By overlaying a diagonal grid rotated at 45° on top of a rectangular shell, we attempted to create a simple yet complex, geographical, and cave-like labyrinth captured inside a small house. The floor rises from two different points in a spiral to meet on a floor that is the dining and kitchen, and separates to finally meet again on the rooftop.

The roof is designed to meet the setback regulations, and when this is installed on top of the series of floors, the house, while reminiscent of a traditional home, became a rather curious polyhedron.

Study and Living 1 area in the back, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

View of the study and dining area, from the Living 1 area. The house is located in a gently sloped, suburban residential area, planned with terraced house plots. Just as the surrounding plots varies in height and levels, so does the interior of the house. Windows and openings relates to the interior levels, resulting in various views to the outside from all sides, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

The site is in a suburban residential neighborhood on a slope developed into terraced plots; the neighboring ground levels are also uneven. In the beginning, we thought about using a split-level composition in response to the conditions of the location – this idea eventually inspired the design for this project. As a result, sixteen different floors were packed into this small house, expanding and moving around in different directions to create a functional, cave-like foundation to support the life of the residents.

Kitchen and Dinning, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

View to all Living areas, seen from the Dinning. The pendant light above the dining table, is designed by Tato Architects, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

Living 2, as seen from Living 3, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

View to the Bathroom from the Kitchen, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

The bathroom connects to Deck 1 and the roof terrace., Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

View in the Bathroom direction, from Deck 2, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

Bedroom, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

The vanity area is finished with brass plate, and can be closed off when not in use, Image Courtesy © Shinkenchiku Sha

Image Courtesy © Tato Architects

Image Courtesy © Tato Architects

Image Courtesy © Tato Architects

Image Courtesy © Tato Architects

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Categories: House, Residential




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