House in Minato-ku, Tokyo Residence, Japan Home Design, Japanese Architecture

Shirokane House, Tokyo

Minato-ku Residential Development, Japan – design by MDS Co.Ltd

17 Mar 2014

Shirokane House

Design: MDS Co.Ltd

Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan

A House with Self-Standing Wall

The small site is located in a typical Tokyo urban residential area, where houses are closely built up. A pursuit of internal spaces in this house, as a result, changes the Tokyo cityscape a little.

An area for one floor is usually desired as large as possible, in particular, in such a narrow site. For this house, the first floor area is small due to the parking space and the second floor is, instead, larger. The outer appearance is examined based on ceiling height, slant line regulations for a building shape.

There are basic requirements for a house, where people live, such as privacy protection and ample daylight and ventilation. It, however, takes a little ingenuity to satisfy such requirements under a given condition that a site is surrounded by the neighboring buildings.

For the site, the southern site across the road is “tentatively” a parking space and no one can tell what will happen in the future. The daylight is, therefore, taken in from the above as much as possible and it is brought downstairs. The living room is on the top floor. The roof terrace facing the blow-by above the living room and the terrace connected with the living room take daylight and air in the house and the light falls on the dining and kitchen room downstairs. The irregular shape at the corner of the site allows the house continuously to keep privacy as well as daylight and ventilation.

The building looks quiet only with the entrance on the south façade, it embraces expressive internal spaces where light and shadow change by the minute.

Shirokane House – Building Information

Architecture: Kiyotoshi Mori & Natsuko Kawamura / MDS
Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo
Date of Completion: 2013
Principal Use: Residence
Structure: RC
Site Area: 64.49 sqm
Total Floor Area: 101.63 sqm (31.02 m2/1F,35.84m2/2F, 34.37 m2/B1F)
Exterior Finish: cedar forms exposed concrete
Roof: exposed concrete
Floor: walnut flooring
Wall: plasterer / cedar forms exposed concrete
Ceiling: acrylic emulsion paint + plaster board