House in Kitasenju

This three-story wooden house is located in a dense wooden residential area in Kitasenju, Tokyo. Given the limited site area and the dense residential environment, we designed the structure to ensure livability and privacy. The three volumes are arranged diagonally in plan to keep the distance from the front road and surrounding buildings. In order to place the living room on the third floor, which has a higher floor height than the surrounding buildings, the ceiling of the first floor was raised to create a space that can be used as storage and a store. Bedrooms with low ceilings are placed on the second floor, and by varying the ceiling height on each floor, the high ceiling of the first floor and the openness of the third floor are emphasized. The staircase runs from the first floor to the loft, and the triangular atrium in the storage room on the first floor provide light and ventilation. In order to emphasize the frame of the three volumes, the height of each beam is unified, and where the beams are long, two beams are joined to reduce the height of the beams. The beams that protrude from the walls are used as bookshelves and storage for small items.