house in shiki by yasuhiro kuno atelier

‘house in shiki’ by yasuhiro kuno atelier, saitama, japan image © hiroshi uedaall images courtesy of yasuhiro kuno atelier

a 20 minute train ride from tokyo within the town of saitama, japan, the ‘house in shiki’ by japanese architect yasuhiro kuno is immersed within large swathes of agricultural land. the surrounding town is heading down a path of subdivided plots with two to three storey houses with a private parking space and individual garden. with this in mind, the exterior is comprised of two stacked blocks with a series of internal open-air patios and corridors to connect with the outdoors. openings at ground level still allow views to the encompassing green areas, but sliding doors setback into the footprint ultimately enclose the living spaces.

contained by a gabled volume, the upper level is smaller than its base, setting its boundaries inward to create corridors that are not covered by the structure.daylight and wind enters the passageways and courts. large apertures adjoin these liminal areas with the living, dining and kitchen, generating a gradual layering of spatial sequences. setting a precedent for future residences of the district, if this technique were adopted into future homes, then a series of habitable and pleasant courtyards and gardens would buffer neighboring houses.

view from fieldimage © hiroshi ueda

an outdoor patio buffers the streetimage © hiroshi ueda

patio opens to the living room and dining areaimage © hiroshi ueda

kitchenimage © hiroshi ueda

stairsimage © hiroshi ueda

project info:

project name: house in shikilocation of site: saitama japansite area: 102.53m2building area: 55.16m2 total floor area: 86.40m2 structure: wood structurearchitect: yasuhiro kunostructural engineers: akira suzuki / asacontractor: three fdesign period: feb. 2009 – feb. 2010construction period: mar. 2010 -aug. 2010