House in Seijo

location: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
use: residence
structure: RC + wood (partially)
number of stories: 1 basement floor / 2 story
site area: 150.71㎡
total floor area: 115.66㎡
completion: 05.1997

Semi-suburban City-Housing
This house was planed in the quiet residential area of Seijo Gakuen. The area, which used to be familiar as a suburban residential type, is now in need of a new scheme to protect the resident’s privacy from heavy traffic on the streets. The major space of the house is placed above the ground to create privacy from passersby’s eyes on the street, and to enjoy the view of the neighborhood from inside. It is an old trick for semi-suburban city-housing which Frank Lloyd Wright adopted in the planning of the Robie house. The access from the entrance to the main floor was specially designed with the gentle stairs to make the move naturally in sequence of slight geometries. The client has been pleased with it, because the movement of up and down is quite natural.
The site faces to a T-shaped corner of the street, which is very appropriate for the house to have some symbolic appearance. The house was therefore designed to show a beautiful silhouette in the motif of a gable roof, the most symbolic of housing origins. The primary wish for interior space was to be relaxed with privacy. Horizontally, it was designed with the consideration together with a deck, and vertically, it was designed to make the dining room with a high ceiling as the main space for the family. A loft space and a tatami room were located above the dining space, and bedrooms were in a semi-basement. The entrance hall functions not only as the vertical connection with these rooms, but the stairs themselves also act as an important part of the design.