between

2009 -

 

This is a two-family home with a “garden” on the second floor, sandwiched between residential zones. By shifting each floor, a large asymmetrical balcony appears. The site was too small to put a garden on ground next to the building, so we located it on a reinforced concrete podium, with a separate wooden structure overhead. The ground floor zone is for the parents and the third floor, built of wood, is for their children and grandchildren. A dining / kitchen is on the same level as the “garden” as if it is a part of the garden; the entire floor is conceived like the Japanese doma (an area which was part of the traditional home, with an earthen floor).
The semi-open garden, surrounded by a plastic net such as those used for screens around pitching practice areas, is often used for baseball practice by the grandchildren, and sometimes as a lunch space, like a picnic spot under a big tree. Flower pots around the periphery catch rain. We wanted people to feel the virtual volume of the garden, although in fact it is a void, with white walls, floor and ceiling. The garden is a spacious yard, which commands an extensive perspective of the Osaka Bay area.

location Takarazuka City, Hyogo Pref.
principal use residence
completion date 2009
total floor area 129m2
structure wood, reinforced concrete
3 stories