Motoyasu Muramatsu Architects

This house was planned on a high ground named Fujimidai in northwest Tokyo. The narrow, irregularly shaped site borders a 4-meter-wide road on the northeast and features a south-facing cliff approximately 3 meters lower than the adjacent property.

Located within a densely built-up residential area and constrained by the site's elevation differences, the structure was designed as a three-layer cross-section comprising a basement level that also functions as a retaining wall and two above-ground floors. The floor plan is divided into three distinct zones: east, west, and central. External spaces are created on the northeast and southwest sides, actively incorporating the external landscape into the interior spatial composition. The structure employs reinforced concrete walls from the basement to the second-floor level, topped by a single-slope roof supported by glued laminated timber beams. The entire site is uniformly covered by beams of identical cross-section. By exposing these beams both internally and externally, the design aims to unify the spatial experience across the entire site. On the east and south elevations, the roof is detached from the walls and floats above them. Holes are cut into this roof, allowing light to stream through the gaps between the beams into the garden and interior spaces, so that the varied light of the sun, from sunrise to sunset, can penetrate the interior over the course of the day.

Inside this house, one can sense the passage of time throughout the day, and particularly, one can witness the beautiful sight of the sun sinking below the horizon at dusk.

Building Type : House
Site Area : 138m²
Total Floor Area : 195 m²