Tokyo, Japan
“Creating liveable and unique spaces also requires that we approach design from a logical perspective. Not only working out comfortable floor plans or taking an artistic approach to the elements such as light and shadow, materials, and style that sway the moods of those who inhabit a space,” says Yukio Asari of Love Architecture.
The Japanese architect, Yukio Asari, following his motto, managed to create a residence in central Tokyo with landscape architects Mark Garden Art, where two houses become one and combine an urban residence and a holiday home at the same time.
The client owned two houses in neighboring plots, one next to the other, and his only request was for Asari to make enough changes to both structures so one house would complement the other in terms of use and materials.
As the architect states, the design fits neither the typical definition of a regular house—that is, a place to spend everyday life—nor that of a vacation home, a place to escape the daily routine.
It’s rather a concept between the two, intended to expand ordinary life and cast it in a fresh light. In a typical vacation home, it is possible to create a sense of the extraordinary simply by opening up the building to the surrounding environment.
In this case, however, because of the small urban lot, only so much could be done through manipulation of the form in relation to natural light and the garden.
Therefore, Asari employed an alternate strategy of handling the entire project, from façade to interiors, furniture, and fabrics, as one borderless whole, each of whose parts is of equal value, thereby creating a new kind of environmental expression.
With every small interval of passing time and shift in natural light, the dense collage of materials used throughout the house takes on a subtly different appearance.
Similarly, each step through the space brings unexpected scenes as one moves around forms designed to highlight the unique characteristics of the materials.
The ribbed concrete exterior walls contrast a rough surface on the concave portions, achieved by pressing squared lumber into the formwork, with a polished surface on the convex portions. In addition, the ribbing is vertical above the exterior staircase and horizontal below it.
The front door is finished with textured cypress panels and a machined stainless-steel handle.
In the second-floor powder room, the use of white as a keynote color for both finishes and furniture serves to highlight differences in texture and pattern.
In the third-floor bathroom, a Japanese-style wagon and Italian chair occupy a modern space constructed from faux stone tiles and glass.
There is also a wine cave in the basement designed with stainless-steel shelving where linear LED lights contrast with a classic Italian porcelain tile floor.
Project: Extraordinary Ordinary House
Architects: Love Architecture Inc.
Lead Architect: Yukio Asari
Structural Engineering: Masaki Structure Laboratory Limited
Construction: Maezawa Corporation
Landscape Designer: Mark Garden Art
Manufacturers: Linea Talara
Client: Private
Photographers: Masao Nishikawa
