Architecture: aoyagi design
Design Team: Hajime Aoyagi, Ayaka Aoyagi
Structural engineers: KONISHI STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS (Yasutaka Konishi, Takuya Asamitsu, Kengo Marumoto)
Location: Tokyo Japan
Completion: 2019
Photography: Takumi Ota

This is a close look at the house exterior showcasing the design of the balcony that is placed over a graveled landscaping by the side of the street.

This is a closer look at the balcony that has a large door that opens to a patio fitted with an outdoor dining set.

This is a nighttime view of the unique house with warm glowing indoor lights escaping through the balcony, underneath and main entrance.

This is a front view of the house showcasing the frosted glass main door and the car parking area on the side.

The frosted glass main door opens to reveal the white spiral staircase inside.

This is a close look at the white spiral staircase just inside the entrance with a white tone that blends with the walls.

Upon entry of the house, you are welcomed by this simple foyer with a concrete flooring separated from the rest of the house that has hardwood flooring.

On the side of this foyer is a mirrored cabinet and a few simple decorations and a wall-mounted lamp.

This is a look at the spacious dining room with a wide light hardwood flooring and a wooden dining set in the middle.

This is a close look at the bright wall on the side of the dining room adorned with simple small artwork and a wooden cabinet.

This is a closer look at the built-in wooden cabinet at the corner of the dining area with a light tone to match the hardwood flooring.

A few steps from the dining set is the kitchen cabinetry lining the walls with a sink area in the middle.

Thi sis a close look at the top floor landing of the house fitted with a wide play area with white walls and a light hardwood flooring.

This is a closer look at the kitchen with white modern cabinetry beside the stiarcase.

This is a close look at the staircase on the side of the kitchen on the other side of the corridor leading to the balcony.

This is a closer look at the staircase that has wooden steps that blend with the flooring and white walls.

This is a look at the spiral staircase from the vantage of the top floor showcasing more of the light wooden steps that match the flooring.

This is the spacious home office with a large desk in the middle and has built-in bookshelves on one wall and floating shelves on the other.

This is the library with built-in bookshelves lining one side of the wall and a chair on the other for a reading nook.

This is a close look at the shower area with bright white walls and stainless steel fixtures.

this is a look at the bathroom vanity on the far side and a large freestanding bathtub on the side.

This is a look at the white walls, floor and ceiling of the bathroom that are illuminated by the natural lights.

This is a look at the shower area with white walls and stainless steel fixtures as well as a glass door leading to another section of the bathroom.

This is a close look at the corridor leading to the large balcony.

this is a view of the archway and corridor of the house from the vantage of the balcony during nighttime.

These are the illustrative representations of the floor plans of the house.

this is the illustrative representations of the sections A-A and B-B of the house.

This is a colorful representation of the house depicting the simulation for thermal environment.

Hajime Aoyagi

2006 – Graduated from master course of Tokyo University of the arts
2006 – Nikken
2010 – aoyagi design

Ayaka Aoyagi

2006 – Graduated from maseter course of Tsukuba university
2010 – aoyagi design

The site is a small lot of about 50 square meters located in a residential district on the outskirts of Tokyo. While the view is blocked on three sides, the ground level is 2 meters higher than the road facing the eastern side. This gives it a unique floating feel and open views toward the schoolyard on the opposite side of the road. The house is for a couple, who are also the architects of the project, and their children.

Despite severe restrictions, such as setback-line regulation and having less than 25 square meters of allowable building area, we arrived at a tower-shaped design consisting of two underground and two above-ground floors. Light, air, and the presence of the residents will travel between the floors through a circulating staircase and a small void positioned on the corner of the rooms, which culminate in a gentle “flow”.

On the cross-section, the entrance is on the middle layer. Upon entering this crack-like entrance, we are suddenly thrust into the “flow” and suspended in mid-air.

The flow has no clear beginning because, in our design method, we decided not to give the house a robust framework. Instead, we treated the different parameters—the arrangement of functions, relationship with the surrounding environment, and discrepancies caused by the long designing process—as elements that coexist inside the flow, which we assumed is like “basso continuo,” In other words, we did not have a clear overall perspective.

This process caused various disparities, creating inconsistencies between the openings and floor levels, and a relative scale difference imbalance between the rooms and residential equipment, which stay barely suspended in the flow. This stare of suspension also gives our family the redundancy to embrace not only the past and present but also the future with equal neutrality.