the ‘32.4° house’ in japan is an intriguing sight from the outside. this project began with a unique design process. ‘the largest possible square floor plan was first drawn within the almost square lot of the house,’ architect akio nakasa explains. ‘then, a slightly smaller square plan was drawn inside the outer square, and rotated around the center of the square clockwise by 32.4 degrees, creating four right triangles inside the outer square.’

 

but why? it’s actually a clever solution to stay under budget and to satisfy the statutory building coverage ratio, plus a number of interesting spaces and features resulted from this. the home-inside-a-home creates a sort of internal courtyard, which even includes a tiny car park. 

the 32.4° house in japan started with a strange design challenge
image by toshiyuki yano (also main image)

 

 

the sections not part of the inner square are left open. sun shines down these chasms and reflects defused light into the inner living spaces. while the outer square of the home has very few windows, the only view available to the residents is that of the exterior white walls; yet, without anything picturesque to look at, this doesn’t seem like much of a shame. akio nakasa of naf architect & design orchestrated this sleek building to have sharp edges for a distinct impression; aside from the white of the walls, the only other color is the soft brown of wood. the interior spaces play with the angles created as a result of the superimposing of geometric shapes — a dissection of a typical house typology. 

the 32.4° house in japan started with a strange design challenge
image by toshiyuki yano

32.4 degree house
image by toshiyuki yano

32.4 degree house
image by toshiyuki yano

32.4 degree house
image by toshiyuki yano

the 32.4° house in japan started with a strange design challenge
image by toshiyuki yano

the 32.4° house in japan started with a strange design challenge
image by toshiyuki yano

the 32.4° house in japan started with a strange design challenge
image by toshiyuki yano

32.4 degree house
image by toshiyuki yano

 

 

project info:

 

name: 32.4°house
location: yokohama city, kanagawa, japan
category: detached house
structure: wood construction
number of stories: 3 stories above ground
maximum height: 9.587 m
maximum eave height: 7.221 m
frontal road: 4.00m on the west
site area: 85.96 sqm
building area: 51.51 sqm
total floor area: 105.95 sqm
design time: august 10, 2015 – june 30, 2016
construction time: july 1, 2016 – january 25, 2017
architect: akio nakasa (principal architect) , teppei amano
photography: toshiyuki yano