Grand Room House

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

GRAND ROOM HOUSE

Igarchitects

ARCHITECTS
Igarchitects

LEAD ARCHITECT
Masato Igarashi

CONSTRUCTION
Kentaro Okata GALAS Inc.

ENGINEERING
Structure: Yousuke Misaki EQSD

DESIGN TEAM
Igarchitects

PHOTOGRAPHS
Ooki Jingu

AREA
145 m²

YEAR
2025

LOCATION
Saitama, Japan

CATEGORY
Houses

English description provided by the architects.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

The site is located on the edge of a residential development surrounded by a rural landscape, facing both a busy road and a private lane.

The client—a family of four consisting of a couple and their two young children—desired a generous, flexible home that could accommodate changes in their lifestyle as their children grow.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

The design takes advantage of the spaciousness and openness offered by the large site and its surrounding environment to create a bright and expansive space.

The building consists of a single large space called the Grand Room, around which private rooms are arranged.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

Occupying half of the building's total area, the Grand Room functions as a living room, dining room, hallway, play area for the children, and even as a garden.

Its usage can change flexibly, guided by the overhead beams running through the space.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

Positioned between the "town" and the cluster of private rooms, the Grand Room serves as a transitional space that connects two environments of differing scales.

It becomes a generous void that receives and mediates the activities and objects from both the private spaces and the outside world.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

To realize this 5-meter-tall open volume, it was necessary to secure surface rigidity and ensure out-of-plane resistance to wind forces.

While typical solutions might involve catwalks, dropped beams, or diagonal bracing, this house employs a zigzag beam system that performs the functions of both beams and braces.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

Using only a single type of linear structural element, this approach achieves a unified yet dynamic spatial structure.

The zigzag beams add depth vertically and perspective horizontally, enhancing the sense of openness.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

They also double as lighting rails and help define zones within the space.

Rather than defining rooms by their conventional functions—like "living" or "dining"—this house centers around a non-prescriptive space capable of accommodating multiple activities.

Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu

This generous, adaptable void ultimately defines the character of the home and reflects the way of life the clients envisioned for their time here.


Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu


Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu


Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu
Grand Room House
© Ooki Jingu


Grand Room House
Plan - 1st Floor
Grand Room House
Plan - 2nd Floor
Grand Room House
Plan - Roof
Grand Room House
Elevations