Double House
W Architects
ARCHITECTS
W Architects
LEAD ARCHITECTS
Kouki Watanabe, Rika Wtanabe
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Enshu Structural Consultants
PHOTOGRAPHS
Yurika Kono
PROGRAM / USE / BUILDING FUNCTION
Houses
AREA
75 M²
YEAR
2021
LOCATION
Akita, Japan
CATEGORY
Houses
Text description provided by architect.
A "tower" with nine stories and a "summer house" was built. It's one home made up of two buildings.
The "tower" fills the role of the "home's functionality" and the "summer house" provides the "home's space". We took an unconventional approach to the design in order to maximize the cost performance of the space on a limited budget.
It was an extreme plan in the sense that small spaces were made as small as possible without creating inconvenience and wide spaces were made as wide as possible.
The house that handles the home's functionality is the 80-square-foot "tower". Using a rigorous examination of people's body measurements and the measurements of their actions, all of the needed furniture was embedded into the building to create different levels and condense everything with extreme efficiency.
With a vertically arranged sequence, the uneven levels can be treated as both furniture and circulation routes at the same time.
Climb up to the sleeping area at the top by stepping onto benches, tables, closets, shelves, sofas, and sinks. Instead of creating room, the "tower" was formed on the idea of stacking furniture and then climbing up it all.
Conversely, the "summer house" is space removed from functionality. With 570 square feet of floor space, it occupies about 70% of the entire property's 807 square feet.
It was enlarged and simplified as much as the budget allowed to be a semi-enclosed space to spend time in. Completely separated from the functionality component, it's like having a vacation home at home. It's an area with no intended use and no particular function.
By making half of the outer perimeter open, it creates a space that blends in with its surroundings while still being a moderately enclosed comfortable place. It's a place where you can spend time relaxing while the leaves around you sway in the breeze.
These two structures, while having completely different qualities from each other, complement each other as a single home.
