• Stairway House

journal

 
16 / 04 / 2020
Located in a serene residential area of the Japanese capital, we discover this stunning home designed for two families that stands out for its extreme ability to balance the brutality of its structure with an aesthetic style that is both vibrant and tranquilising.

Taking advantage of the daylight, ventilation and the greenery of the courtyard, architectural studio nendo created a large glass facade responsible for bringing the exteriors to the interior of the building, while preserving the old tree in the outside. While the upper floors were defined to accommodate the young couple and their children, on the ground level we uncover all the areas conceived for the older couple, a natural preference considering the potential difficulties of going up and down the stairs. “The eight cats living with the older couple roam in and outdoors more freely, and encourages the mother to enjoy her hobby of gardening more freely.”, the architects tell us.

In fact, the “stairway-like” structure remains as the key element of the space, a huge staircase that starts in the south yard, continuing upward into the building and penetrating the 1st through 3rd floors. This delicious “pathway” creates a link between all the areas: it becomes a space where all three generations could gather. “Not only it connects the interior to the yard, but it aims to expand further out to join the environs and the city —connecting the road that extends southward on the ground level, and out into skylight through the toplight.”
 
For more information, visit nendo website.
Photography: Daici Ano and Takumi Ota
This article is only available in English. 
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