tato architects/yo shimada: house in rokko

‘house in rokko’ by tato architects/yo shimada, kobe, japan image © ken’ichi suzuki all images courtesy of tato architects/yo shimada

positioned on mt. rokko, with commanding views overlooking kobe, japan, the ‘house in rokko’ by japanese architect yo shimada of tato architects confirms an exploration of minimizing physical impacts upon the environment while maintaining vistas for residents. the site’s location along the steep slope eliminated the possibility of using heavy machinery to drive piles. a 3.5 meter by 13.5 meter plane is secured for the foundation, requiring manual digging from the nearby breast wall to hold back the earth’s soil. resting above the concrete pad, the two-storey steel structure forms an open, glass-enclosed ground level and private upper level clad with metal panels.

the transparent entry area contains a living, dining area and kitchen along with a visitor’s toilet and bicycle storage for the owner. the environment is fully enjoyed from this space, nearly eliminating the boundary between the indoors and outdoors. the setting is ideal for entertaining guests and interacting with friends. an open-riser stairway with galvanized steel treads leads to the bedrooms and washroom. the gabled ceiling expressed the exterior’s roof form, responding to the neighboring existing homes. wide openings within the facade generate natural ventilation while a thermal storage system within the concrete slab works alongside a far-infrared radiation film floor heating system.

view of the city from the residence image © ken’ichi suzuki

glass-enclosed ground floor and private metal-clad upper level image © ken’ichi suzuki

transparent ground level contains the active funciton sof the home image © ken’ichi suzuki

image © ken’ichi suzuki

view through the transparent ground floor image © ken’ichi suzuki

side view through the transparent ground floor image © ken’ichi suzuki

stairs to the upper level with the dining area beyond image © ken’ichi suzuki

stairs leading to the first floor images © ken’ichi suzuki

(left) prismatic wall (right) gabled ceiling expressed the exterior form images © ken’ichi suzuki

view from the interior image © ken’ichi suzuki

image © ken’ichi suzuki

(left) washroom along the western side of the plan (right) bathtub images © ken’ichi suzuki

cantilevered balcony image © ken’ichi suzuki

view form balcony image © ken’ichi suzuki

view of home within surrounding context image © ken’ichi suzuki

image © ken’ichi suzuki

illuminated at night image © ken’ichi suzuki

study model iterations

study model

study model

construction process

construction process

construction process

site plan

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

section

exploded axonometric

project info:

project name: house in rokko location of site: kobe japan site area: 295.31m2 building area: 56.00m2 total floor area: 94.50m2 type of construction: steel program: house&atelier project by: tato architects principal designer: yo shimada design period: jan. 2010 – mar. 2011 construction period: aug. 2011 – nov. 2011