Tato Architects / Yo Shimada 島田陽建築設計事務所

House in Takatsuki

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha

HOUSE IN TAKATSUKI

Tato Architects

ARCHITECTS
Tato Architects

STRUCTURE
Takashi Manda

PLANTING
COCA-Z, Tatsuya Kokaji

STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Taijiro Kato

DESIGN TEAM
Tato Architects, Yo Shimada, Akira Yasuda

CONSTRUCTION
Shoken Kikaku, Naoki Sasahara

PHOTOGRAPHS
shinkenchiku_sha

AREA
46 m²

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
Takatsuki, Japan

CATEGORY
Houses

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha

Text description provided by architect.

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.

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha

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.

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© 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.

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha

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.

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha

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.

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha

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.

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha

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.

House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha


House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha
House in Takatsuki
© shinkenchiku_sha


House in Takatsuki
Site Axonometric
House in Takatsuki
Axonometric


House in Takatsuki
Sections
House in Takatsuki
Floor Plans

Tato Architects / Yo Shimada 島田陽建築設計事務所
T +81 078 891 6382 F +81 078 891 6620
Tato Architects / Yo Shimada 島田陽建築設計事務所
2-13-23 Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0002