mA style: ant house

‘ant house’ by mA-style architects, omaezaki-city, shizuoka, japan image © kai nakamura all images courtesy of mA-style architects

shizuoka-based mA-style architects have sent us images of their recently completed ‘ant house’, a single family residence in omaezaki-city, japan. a windowless cube clad with dark metal panels addresses the street, concealing the interior configuration from view entirely. upon entering the discreet front door, a warm plywood palette welcomes inhabitants. a perimeter corridor lined with nooks and cubbyhole storage leads towards the dining area and kitchen in the rear of the home. the bordering partitions contain voids to reveal an open room suspended within the center of the structure between the ground and first levels.

a primary stairway leads to the upper level master bedroom and children’s area which parallel the free space. positioned lower than the floor plate of the first floor, the independent unit is a singular room with a gabled roof. windows and skylights permeating the walls introduce daylight into the internal space. the ridge of the form meets the exterior enclosure.

main entry image © kai nakamura

(left) front door (right) backyard porch images © kai nakamura

interior entry image © kai nakamura

living room image © kai nakamura

(left) dining area (right) downward view of kitchen from the free space

images © kai nakamura

(left) lavatory (right) kitchen + bathroom corridor

image © kai nakamura

first floor children’s area

image © kai nakamura

(left) view of the children’s area from the free space (right) view of the children’s area through partition voids

images © kai nakamura

free space is suspended between the ground and first floor

image © kai nakamura

windows within the enclosure of the free space

image © kai nakamura

first floor corridor

image © kai nakamura

stairs descend into the free space

image © kai nakamura

(left) upward view of the gabled ceiling within the free space (right) feet hanging into the free space from the bordering children’s area

images © kai nakamura

gable roof of the free space meets the cubic exterior of the dwelling

image © kai nakamura

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1