House in Mitaka

This project is a compact house built on a 44.58-square-meter site in a residential neighborhood near Inokashira Park. The design aimed to maximize comfort within a limited volume. The second-floor living-dining-kitchen area, where the family spends most of their time, features a high ceiling to create a sense of openness. While neighboring houses are set back from the street due to height restrictions based on the slant plane regulation, this house uses the sky factor method to ease those constraints. This allowed the living spaces to be positioned closer to the street, opening up views toward the setback areas of adjacent properties and establishing a connection with the surrounding urban fabric. A central staircase runs through all three floors and incorporates built-in bookshelves and small alcove niches, functioning as furniture elements. Rather than serving solely as circulation, the stair becomes a place in itself—an inhabited passage that fosters relationships between floors. The result is a cohesive home where each level feels meaningfully connected.