ON design partners: calling a plan a map, yokosuka

‘calling a plan a map’ by ON design, yokosuka, japanimage © koichi torimura

‘calling a plan a map’ by japanese studio ON design, located in kanagawa yokosuka just south of tokyo, deconstructs the traditional program of a house and decentralizes its components placing them as destinations on the landscape, effectively turning the floor plan into a map. light metal frames hold up independent structures that make up a specific part of a home, wrapped in various wood panels to create a heterogeneous cluster of masses. the main double-height structure houses the kitchen and living room with large panels of glazing that open the space to the exterior patio. one must then walk outside to get to the bedroom, or the tile-clad bathroom. all volumes except for the largest primary one are technically temporary structures, as they are not anchored into any foundations. the different parts of the home can therefore be rearranged in response to various needs.

view from the bottom of the site past a retaining wallimage © koichi torimura

individual components spread throughout the site embrace every inch of the plotimage © koichi torimura

each structure contains a unique aesthetic based on its functionimage © koichi torimura

view from the rooftop terrace over the main structureimage © koichi torimura

exterior walkwayimage © koichi torimura

(left) aluminum staircase leads up to the volume on stilts(right) wood interiorimage © koichi torimura

kitchen and living room interiorimage © koichi torimura

project info:

place: kanagawa yokosukacompletion: 2012.09architects: osamu nishida+erika nakagawaphoto: koichi torimurasite area: 648.52㎡building area: 107.30㎡total floor area: 100.97㎡construction: eiko constructionstructure: akira suzuki／asa