katsutoshi sasaki: oshikamo house

‘oshikamo house’ by katsutoshi sasaki, toyota, aichi, japan image © toshiyuki yano all images courtesy of katsutoshi sasaki

japanese architectural practice katsutoshi sasaki have recently completed ‘oshikamo house’, a single family residence amidst the residential neighborhood of toyota, aichi, japan. the footprint of the structure creates a series of open wings on either half of the dwelling generating a unified interior to foster continuous interaction between the family members. vertically striated white metal panels clad the changing volume shape, shifting from rectilinear outer corners to a concave niche, discreetly presenting the main entrance in the front elevation and a tree in the rear of the home.

front elevation image © toshiyuki yano

the unique spatial arrangement places the kitchen in the center introducing dynamic activity into the heart of the home while the private areas of bedrooms and study rooms gradually transition into bisected corridors creating minimal opportunities for extended isolation. the programmatic distribution compels inhabitants to cross through the communal area and then branch into the gently curved passages with stairs and ladders to raised spaces to block direct views.

back of the residence image © toshiyuki yano

rear elevation image © toshiyuki yano

‘japanese room’ and bedroom/study room wings oriented near the rear of the residence image © toshiyuki yano

(left) study room / bedroom (right) outward view from study room / bedroom images © toshiyuki yano

(left) stairs to lofted bedroom (right) ‘japanese room’ images © toshiyuki yano

outward view from ‘japanese room’ image © toshiyuki yano

walk-in closet / lofted bedroom and bathroom wings oriented near the main entrance image © toshiyuki yano

corridor leading to bathroom image © toshiyuki yano

(left) bathroom (right) front door images © toshiyuki yano

front facade at dusk image © toshiyuki yano

site plan image © katsutoshi sasaki

floor plan / level 0 image © katsutoshi sasaki

floor plan / level 1 image © katsutoshi sasaki

interaction diagram

project info:

location: toyota aichi japan site area: 191.71m2 built area: 84.18m2 total floor area: 101.94m2 type of construction: wooden exterior materials: metal finish interior materials: paint finish

design time: june 2010 – february 2011 year of completion: september, 2011

design team: katsutoshi sasaki + associates

structure company: masaki structural laboratory construction company: inoue construction ltd photographer: toshiyuki yano