ryuichi furumoto: k house

‘k house’ by ryuichi furumoto in hiroshima, japan all images courtesy ryuichi furumotoimage © seiichiro ohkake

japanese practice ryuichi furumoto has sent us images of ‘k house’, a multi-storey private dwelling for a couple and their four children in hiroshima, japan. surrounded by medium-to-highrise buildings, the design seeks to create a living space that reduce the presence of the site’s ambient noise and vibrations. 

street elevation image © seiichiro ohkake

much like the letter ‘k’, the profile of the house geometrically tapers in the middle and slightly expands to the street and roof levels. the angles caused by this form provides self-shade for the front facade while establishing intersecting sight lines from the adjacent building. finished with exposed concrete, the solid expression of the design is incised on the street elevation with a series of glazed bands. placed at different heights and width, the perceived dimensions of the internal storeys caused by the windows are skewed, creating a distinct and dynamic exterior identity.

street view image © seiichiro ohkake

accommodating three parking spaces – two indoors, one outdoors – on the ground level, the communal programs begin on the third level to gain vertical privacy from the street. a series of slim cuts made on the ceiling of the living space permits natural daylight to enter the floor while balancing the heaviness of the concrete with transparency. the house is connected by a common staircase that acts as a large, multi-storey void space. utilizing this zig-zagging route as more than just a form of circulation, the design features landings at different depths of the layout that act as spatial interventions along the spine.

image © seiichiro ohkake

image © seiichiro ohkake

(left) tapered form from the interior (right) staircase image © seiichiro ohkake

image © seiichiro ohkake

night view image © seiichiro ohkake

site map

floor plan / level 0 (1) entrance porch (2) porch (3) entrance (4) parking area

floor plan / level +1 (5) master bedroom (6) closet (7) bathroom (8) closet

floor plan / level +2 (9) living dining room (10) kitchen

floor plan / level +3 (11) children’s room 1 (12) children’s room 2 (13) children’s room 3 (14) children’s room 4 (15) sanitary

floor plan / level +4 (16) utility (17) inner terrace (18) roof terrace

section a-a (4) parking area (5) master bedroom (7) bathroom (9) living dining room (10) kitchen (11) children’s room 1 (13) children’s room 3 (18) roof terrace

section b-b (3) entrance (15) sanitary (16) utility (17) inner terrace

east elevation

west elevation

south elevation

north elevation

(left) exploded axonometric (right) axonometric

project info:

site area: 115.65 m2 built area: 75.79 m2 total floor area: 286.26 m2

structural engineer: SAK structural engineering general constructor: daiki-kk