fujiwalabo builds wall-less home in japanese valley

fujiwalabo builds wall-less home in japanese valley
all images courtesy of fujiwalabo architects

in todoroki, the only valley of tokyo, fujiwalabo architects (teppei fujiwara) has built a house to welcome the landscape right to the front door. unlike the artificial nature of the greater city, todoroki has a bountiful amount of conservation land. in this lush environment, the ‘double circular ring’ dwelling, includes two terraced spaces on the sides of the home, and is intended to be embedded by greenery on all four sides throughout the year. the modular interior, mostly composed of wood, also bears a glass curtain around the first floor to let in light and permit views out to the dynamic terrain. the modest building is quite open, but reserves space for more private areas, such as a washroom, on the second floor. the wall-less structure has one defining element, a central staircase whose materiality matches the rest of the house.

the first floor kitchen and corridor feature an unrepressed glass wall

a wooden stair case leads to the second floor

space in ‘double circular ring’ is compartmentally divided without walls

shelving is built under the main stairway for additional storage

at sunset, a mix of daylight and track lighting fill every corner of the home

‘double circular ring’ illuminated at night

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project info:

architect: teppei fujiwara architects lab
location: setagaya-ku, tokyo
construction builder: hirohashi
wooden structure: jikukumi method
lighting: okayasu izumi
curtain: yoko ando design
construction period: september – may 2011

total floor area: 85.24 sqm