kimihiko okada: toda house

‘toda house’ by kimihiko okada, hiroshima, japan image © toshiyuki yano all images courtesy kimihiko okada

tokyo-based practice office of kimihiko okada has recently completed the ‘toda house’, a single family residence in hiroshima, japan. positioned upon a perch like a bird’s nest, this dwelling is lifted on stilts to accentuate panoramas to the inland sea and miyajima skyline in the distance over the roof of a neighboring house. located at the edge of a residential area, the elevated interior floors inherently increases security while leaving space for the inhabitants to open a small shop below the home in the future. bordered with a series of inclined steel columns, a front yard with a driveway, playground and garden is placed below the structure.

view from the street image © toshiyuki yano

accessed via an outdoor steel stair, the interior opens to the vista and is protected from the urban environment. a linear arrangement is created as the spiraling circulation through the living spaces wraps around a central void. a gently inclining spandrel wall conceals a series of steps which accommodate the rising platforms while an additional staircase directly connects the lowest and highest floor plates. two roof terraces for dining and viewing are placed like bookends at the beginning and end of the continuous plan.

front yard image © toshiyuki yano

(left) garden (right) upward view from ground level images © toshiyuki yano

stairs leading to main entrance image © toshiyuki yano

aerial view of front yard and entry stair image © toshiyuki yano

view of the inland sea and miyajima in the distance image © toshiyuki yano

view of terrace from entrance image © toshiyuki yano

terrace image © toshiyuki yano

entrance image © toshiyuki yano

kitchen image © toshiyuki yano

corridor image © toshiyuki yano

upper level living area image © toshiyuki yano

living room image © toshiyuki yano

view from the living room image © toshiyuki yano

study image © toshiyuki yano

image © toshiyuki yano

image © toshiyuki yano

image © toshiyuki yano

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

floor plan / level 2

section

section

project info:

location: hiroshima, japan principal use: private residence (extension; shop) structure: steel structure two-story building area: 90.21sqm total floor area: 114.26sqm structural engineer: structured environment mechanical engineer: system design laboratory