This private house sits on a flag-shaped site in Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo with 110 m2 in size. Oyamadai House is designed by Frontoffice Tokyo, located on the site purchased by a family who saw a great chance to be as open as possible. This house is characterized by a wooden structure and also a concrete floor to form the landscape.
Background
Bound on every side by neighbors on a flag-shaped site, an understandable instinct might be to step away from the city in this project. Besides a chance to be as open as possible, there is also a chance to connect to the city from a slight remove by using the small degree of isolation.
Floors
The concrete floor on the ground floor of the house extends out to create a landscape. This floor is also softened by an abstract to blur boundaries between the home and city. The stair landings and the terrace on the second floor have the same task for this house.
Structure
Against these ambitions, a wooden structure would work normally and requires large sheer walls or braces. These walls or braces are used to resist earthquakes. In order to answer this need without losing a wish to open the spaces, large X-shaped walls are built by the architect at the end of the house. These work as a structure, just like flying buttresses, without interfering with the desire for openness.
Oyamadai House Gallery
Photographer: Takumi Ota