House in Rokko

Jordi Costa — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 16:58:42 +0000

Architects: Tato Architects Photography: Ken'ichi Suzuki Construction Period: 2012 Location: Kobe, Japan

I have wondered what architecture that demands a superb view should be. By opening only to the side that gives the perfect view it limits the relation to the near surroundings. In what way can the view be enjoyed without being too dominant?

The site is at the end of an old residential area on a hillside of Mt. Rokko. It is a large area but too steep to bring in heavy machines for driving piles. A land of 3.5m by 13.5m was left for manual digging of a foundation after keeping sufficient distance from the old retaining wall and heaped soil. Owing to its location and topography, the resident didn’t have to concern about being watched from outside too much. Thus the ground floor, which was not seen from below, was fully glazed to bring environment and townscape into the interior. It is a semi-public space, functioning as a so called LDK. Living, dining and kitchen, equipped with a toilet for guests, flexible enough to accommodate a variety of activities such as making music with friends, treating guests, and taking care of his bicycle. Space needs to be personalized, namely a bedroom, a bathroom and storage, were arranged on the first floor in the archetypal house lifted up from the ground level. The form helped the house relate to the surrounding old houses with pitched roofs. It kept sufficient volume while the height according to local building codes was met. Considering natural ventilation, openings on the first floor were placed equally.

Additionally, an under floor heating system with heat storage using midnight electricity was installed on the ground floor. Furthermore, a far-infrared radiation film floor heating system was placed on the first floor. Combined with accumulated heat by sunlight on the slab of the ground floor, the resident lives comfortably. In summer, balcony and eaves will block sunlight, and breeze from Mt. Rokko will carry out indoor heat.

A steel-frame construction was adopted according to the client’s wish. As only man-powered construction was available on this specific site, small H-section steel was adopted as a main structural element. In addition, each construction material was limited to a weight of about 100kg for carrying up to the site.

To reinforce the horizontal stability while placing a big hole for stairs in the first floor slab, 4.5mm thick steel plates were laid on the cantilevered balcony all around the building.

Careful observation of the environment without responding to it downright resulted in the house with a glazed empty space and a high ceiling on the ground floor. On this scenic site where a variety of residents’ styles and generations are mingled, we think we found a way to interact equally with the near surroundings and townscape.

Text provided by the architect.

La entrada House in Rokko se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

Private house

Jordi Costa — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 09:44:35 +0000

Architects: Tato Architects Photography: Shinkenchiku sha Construction Period: 2020 Location: Takatsuki, Japan

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.

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. 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 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 © shinkenchiku_shaThe 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 shelves. A wooden hatch on the wall opens to the mailbox, under the washbasin is storage for shoes and other possessions.

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.

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.

Text provided by the architect.

La entrada Private house se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

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House in Rokko

Private house