architecture lab: utsunomiya U

‘utsonomiya-U’ by architecture-lab in utsunomiya, tochigi, japan all images courtesy architecture-lab image © katsumi hirabayashi

japanese practice architecture-lab has shared with us images of ‘utsonomiya-U’, a two-storey private dwelling in tochigi, japan. putting at its centre a large double-height space, the design explores a new method of interior organization by leaving the domestic programs open and transparent to the rest of the house.

within context image © katsumi hirabayashi

taking up a square-shaped footprint on the site, the overall form of the residence is simple and unassuming with a pyramid hip roof form that references the surrounding buildings’ profiles. the exterior is wrapped in a metallic skin that lends the free-standing structure a modern aesthetic within the residential neighbourhood. sitting on the centre of the plot, a parking space and an outdoor garden is respectively accommodated to the east and west end.

doors leading to atelier image © katsumi hirabayashi

pivoting around a central structural column, the interior of the house opens up to a large void space that provides an atrium-like effect, establishing views between the first and second storey. the ground floor hosts the communal programs – kitchen, dining, living – as well as a japanese-style room and an atelier on the corners of the layout. the individual rooms on the level above is read as a sequence of space which is divided by partitions made out of OSB. devoid of walls around the atrium, the result of the interior is a highly open interpretation of a house that can be experienced like a sectional model.

interior view image © katsumi hirabayashi