‘house in yamasaki’ by tato architects, hyogo, japanimage © ken’ichi suzukiall images courtesy of tato architects

 

 

designed for a single family with two children in the northern area of hyogo, japan, local firm tato architects have sent us images of a house they have completed that plays with micro-urbanization on a grey plinth. the entire footprint was sunken into the ground 760 millimeters, lowering the roof line and opening viewsto the surrounding mountains and landscape, but also creating a stable semi-subterranean level that uses the earth’s mass for natural insulation.the grey wooden platform houses the main living spaces, kitchen and bedrooms in a wooden frame structure that uses the same material for interior partitions and floor surface. large voids in the ceiling plane connect this open-plan area with three smaller versions of the archetypal house with spatially efficient ladders. two of the mini-dwellings resting on the base platform are similarly constructed of slender timber frames and clad in translucent corrugated polycarbonate panels. these volumes contain the bathroom and sun room in spaces that do not transmit direct sunlight but rather enjoy diffused illumination during the day and glow at night, in addition to acting as light wells and greenhouses for the space below. the third construct is a solid structure and contains a guest room. the canopy then becomes a common courtyard shared amongst each individual protrusion from the primary foundation, with extruded aluminum handrails and storage boxes and benches. the exterior is covered in long cement board panels and efficient insulation and vapor barrier.

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakismaller archetypal houses sitting on an inhabitable wooden baseimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakitransparencies glow at duskimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiwindows can be used as doorways as the roof also becomes a terraceimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakirooftop terrace with integrated aluminum seatingimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiinterstitial spaces between mini-housesimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiopenings in the floor plane allow the user to step insideimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakicorrugated plastic panels create a shaded light boximage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakibathroomimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiladders communicate the main living space to the upper housesimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasaki(left) office(right) dining roomimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakilower office spaceimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiinterior wooden partitionsimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakimain living spaceimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiimage © ken’ichi suzuki

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiconstruction of light-house

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiinterior of house

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakiassembly of corrugated translucent panels

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakifloor plan / level 0

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakifloor plan / level 1

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakisection

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakisection

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakielevation

 

 

tato architects: house in yamasakielevation

 

 

project info:

 

 

project name: house in yamasakilocation of site: hyogo japansite area: 231.72m2building area: 93.68m2total floor area: 119.11m2type of construction: woodenprogram: houseproject by: tato architectsprincipal designer: yo shimadadesign period : oct.2010 -aug. 2011construction period: oct.2011 -feb.2012