miyahara architect office: house IN

‘house IN’ by miyahara architect office in chigasai, japan all images courtesy miyahara architect office

tokyo-based miyahara architect office (teruo miyahara) has completed ‘House IN’, a two-storey private residence in chigasai, japan. exploring the notion of the individual family member as a basic unit of a house, the design of the living spaces are approached similarly to creating pocket parks in a city, resulting in a dwelling that is at once individually private yet open and well connected.

street facade

designed for a couple and their two grown-up children, the house breaks away from the standard practice of configuring private programs together by arranging the bedrooms at calculated distances from both one another and the communal spaces. featuring a large entry void that leads into a courtyard space on the ground floor, the interior space unfolds around this central open space. a floating balcony constructed out of fibreglass reinforced plastic grating maintains communicational elements between the two levels.

from the entrance

on the second level, a communal study area is inserted into the main circulation space, resulting in a nook that encourages interaction between inhabitants. a large open space is dedicated to the ground floor level, accommodating a kitchen and dining area. though none of the bedrooms share a wall with one another, they remain connected through site lines – a set of internal windows that face eachother across the balcony void – and circulational lines.

(left) courtyard(right) view of floating balcony