MDSKiyotoshi Mori + Natsuko Kawamura

The site is situated in a residential district on an undulating land in the suburb of Tokyo. The house stands on an irregular shaped lot facing a junction of three slightly sloping roads. Plan of the building is composed of exterior walls placed parallel to site perimeters, with garage and garden subtracted from those. Private rooms are provided along the exterior walls, and the remaining space is allocated for a public space for family gatherings. The shared space is defined by rotated walls set along spatial axis at various angles according to the surroundings, creating a sense of distortion in space. The ground level has stepped floors according to inclination of the land, and a floor that can be used as dining table is located at the center. The shared space extends into the terrace covered with deep eaves and the entrance porch, and connects with the exterior space beyond. Private rooms and the shared space are loosely divided by shelves and desks that can be used from both sides. Various elements, such as the site, architecture, and furniture, are seamlessly connected including a floor that is used as a large chair for dining table, a floor that can be used as dining table, and irregular-shaped shelves set along spatial axis. We designed a pitched-roof set at a low height of one-story, so that the house naturally blends in with the surrounding environment. The roof is kept low at the west entrance, while having large windows provided along the viewing terrace overlooking the beautiful greenery towards the southeast direction. In terms of section, dramatic spaces are realized by a combination of inclined ceiling, rotated walls and stepped floors. The house seems to be a plain pitched-roof house from outside, but it potentially offers one an eye-opening spatial experience inside.