‘pit house’ by UID architects, okayama, japan image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc. all images courtesy of UID architects

 

 

 

japanese practice UID architects has recently sent us images of the ‘pit house’ in the okayama prefecture for a single family of three. in re-interpreting the usual housing typology, the dwelling embraces its site with the main living functions in a space that extends the exterior into the interior, dug into the ground in a sort of ‘pit.’ the private areas are lifted off the ground in a solid box clad in cedar planks and covered in structural plywood panels on the inside with cherry floorboards. slender metal columns anchored in individual pylons spring from the bed of course gravel covering the immediate site to support the elevated mass.

 

an inset glass wall wraps the interstitial space between land and building to let in natural light into the main volume of the residence and create a visual continuity to the outside. the primary structure consists of concentric concrete inhabitable cylinders in a sunken circular footprint. many separate levels contain small gardens and several programmatic elements.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 2 wood-clad upstairs houses the private functions image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 3 stairs located between the concrete core and the wooden outer ring image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 4 social areas in circular spaces image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 5 a glass wall wraps the living areasletting in natural light image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 6 kitchen image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 7 image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 8 exterior staircase in a circular landscape image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 9 gravel bed from the outside reaches the interior image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 10 wood-clad facade looking over the neighboring houses image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 11 street-side facade image © koji fujii/nacása & partners inc.

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 12 floor plan / level 0 1. carport 2. terrace 3. entry 4. kitchen 5. dining room 6. living room 7. bathroom

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 13 floor plan / level 1 8. children’s room 9. bedroom 10. storage

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 14 section

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 15 section

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 16 construction detail of metal columns

UID architects: pit house in okayama, japan - 17 axonometric

 

 

 

project info:

 

consultants: konishi structural engineers: yasutaka konishi, takeshi kaneko structural: toshiya ogino environment design office: toshiya ogino general contractor: nakamura construction co.ltd. – hiromi nakamura, yasunobu hida, keizou yoshioka, kazuhiko kiminami structural system: steel structure used materials: exterior; ceder plate, wood protection paint interior: structural plywood, exposed concrete, wood protection paint, cherry flooring site area: 232.12 sqm built area: 115.32 sqm total floor area: 116.66 sqm date of completion: october, 2011