A compact house that makes use of the half-floor difference in height between the front and back of the site.

The site is situated on a corner of a hill within a residential area in Tokyo. The building was commissioned by a couple who love interior design, photography and mountaineering. It is a compact house that makes use of the half-floor difference in height between the front and back of the site.

The simple exterior, reminiscent of a drawer pulled out from a box, is composed of concrete and glass. Taking advantage of the difference in height, the spaces in the front and back are connected using the skip floor system.

Positioned adjacent to those spaces are a courtyard and a void space which, together with the skip floor structure that induces a vertical continuity, create a gentle horizontal connection.

The alternating courtyard and void afford a sense of depth and expansion to the spaces, allowing for all the floors from the basement to the first to be experienced as one space connected vertically and horizontally.

The spaces into which the client’s Italian and Scandinavian modern furniture collection blends in exquisitely is incredibly rich for a house with a total floor area of 100 square meters and it gives rise to a sensuous and sophisticated world.

ARCHITECT: Satoshi Kurosaki/APOLLO Architects & Associates, Tokyo, Japan, www.kurosakisatoshi.com. LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Taro Yokoyama. AREA: 99.27 sqm. PHOTOES: Masao Nishikawa. DATE: 2010.
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