‘tokyo steel house’ by MDS, tokyo, japanimage © hiroshi uedaall images courtesy of MDS

 

 

situated on a slender 5 meter by 16 meter plot, the ‘tokyo steel house’ by local practice MDS is a metal skeleton sitting on a reinforced concretefoundation that holds the subterranean garage. four floors are located within the steel construction, supported by composite steel beams sandwichedwithin wooden planks. the interior spaces are mostly all connected, functioning as a large continuous space, which helps regulate interior temperatureswith the thin timber panel finish acting as the only insulation, with a total wall thickness of 100 mm. an double-layered expanded metal wall represents the southern facade, together with a roof terrace and atrium plenty of light can get into the structure while obscuring visibility from the street.interior materials contrast the cold exterior appearance, with softer rubber tiles and tatami mats regulating the proportions of the separate functions inside.the construction was made to adapt to any environment, maximizing floor area on smaller site due to the thinness of the exterior envelope, using materialproperties and internal volume to regulate temperatures passively.

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal plates(left) approach(right) detail of the expanded metal screensimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesexpanded metal southern facade with operable windowsimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platescontinuous interior space delineated by tatami proportionsimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesinteriorimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal plateslight stairs supported on thin metal dowelsimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesliving roomimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal plates(left) bathroom(right) view from the top floor terraceimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesconstruction of the thin metal envelopeimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal plateswood planks flank the thin metal joistsimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesfloor constructionimage © hiroshi ueda

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesfloor plan / level 0

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesfloor plan / level 1

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesfloor plan / level 2

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platesfloor plan / level -1

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platessection

 

 

tokyo steel house by MDS built from a system of metal platessection

 

 

project info:

 

location: minato-ku, tokyoprincipal use: residence structure: steelsite area: 84.23m2total floor area: 154.44m2 (49.90m2/1f, 49.14m2/2f, 31.68m2/3f, 23.72m2/b1f)exterior finish: galvanized color steel sheet standing-seam roofing , expanded metal fenceroof: galvanized color steel sheet standing-seam roofingfloor: rubber tile, tatamiwall: steel plate ceiling: acrylic emulsion paint + plaster board