‘rooftecture OT2’ by shuhei endo, osaka, japanimage © stirling elmendorfall images courtesy of shuhei endo

 

 

located in the dense urban context of osaka, the steel ‘rooftecture OT2’ house by japanese practice shuhei endo provides a rather different type of home for a couple and their three children. the dwelling is located in the heart of the city, surrounded by houses on three sides, only open to the north on a busy street. as such, the client asked for a facade that would allow light and ventilation, but would visually shut out the exterior. a perforated corrugated metal skin wraps the front elevation and wraps over to the roof, effectively keeping the interior private while flooding it with fresh air and diffused light. once having crossed the cold industrial exterior threshold, the inside begins to tell a different story. the walls and ceiling are covered in oriented strand board (OSB) panels accented with cedar steps and hardwood flooring, which offer a warm welcoming space in complete contrast to the shell. a central atrium with skylights brings natural light to the rear end of the house as well as services all floors and programmatic elements. as different parts of the house are in use, the lit zones glow through the permeable envelope creating a constantly changing patterns at night.

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japancaptionimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japancaptionimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanglowing from the interior lightimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japandoor with chain push barimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanview to the outside through perforated screenimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanentrance vestibuleimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japancentral stairsimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japankitchenimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanall wood interior contrasts the cold steel exteriorimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanstairs service all functions of the houseimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanskylights illuminate the darker ends of the homeimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanview from the top of the stair wellimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanimage © stirling elmendorf

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japansite plan

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanfloor plan / level 0

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanfloor plan / level 1

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japanfloor plan / level 2

 

 

shuhei endo: rooftecture OT2, japansection

 

 

project info:

 

 

architects : shuhei endoproject staff : aya hourilocation : tenma, kita-ku, osaka. japancompletion : september 2012principal use : housestructure system : steelnumber of floors : 3 site area : 55.3 m2building area : 44.0m2total floor area : 127.7m