archiplace: house set in a wall

‘house set in a wall’ by archiplace in tokyo, japan all images courtesy archiplace

‘house set in a wall’ by tokyo-based studio archiplace (ishii masahiro, kondo tamiko) is a two-storey private house located in a dense residential neighbourhood of tokyo, japan. in order to maximize the privacy of the residents, the house was conceived within a circumscribing wall that limits and controls views from adjacent buildings.

street view

from the street, the wall component is read as a floating structure clad in dark. vertically-running panels. serving as an urban fence, the structure encapsulates pockets of outdoor space to generate balconies with appropriately sized apertures providing views for the inhabitants. natural ventilation is also achieved through these exterior openings. the majority of the interior gains natural daylight through a large window with a pitched line, which is created by pulling up the roof beyond the height of the wall. a number of glazed surfaces further encourages sunlight to filter through.

exterior staircase

kitchen

view of living space

balcony

(left) entrance (right) interior staircase

dining space

balcony at night

schematic diagram

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level +1

project info:

site area: 90.11 m2 building area: 25.05 m2 total floor area: 89.76 m2 structure: wood storeys: 2