House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects

House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Stairs, Windows, Beam, HandrailHouse in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - BeamHouse in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Wood, Beam, WindowsHouse in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Windows, FacadeHouse in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - More Images+ 30

Yokohama, Japan
House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Windows, Facade
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

Text description provided by the architects. A house with a basement and two floors above ground was planned in a residential area in Yokohama, which is characterized by rolling hills. The 60-square meter site is sandwiched by existing houses to the south and the north. On the east side, the site faces a 3m-tall retaining wall. In these ways, the site at first looked like it was buried by the surroundings.

House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Beam, Windows
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners
First Floor Plan
House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Handrail
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

In response, the design sought to pull in an equal amount of light and wind in section to both the basement and the ground level. Each floor was given the same ceiling height. The slab on each floor was bent near the exterior to give the same window size in section to each floor. When looking at the elevation, the same four sliding windows line up as if to indicate that the house, with a height of a two-story building, is three stories tall.

House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Stairs, Chair, Handrail, Beam
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

In the basement, a wind unexpected in a room located underground travels from the window on the east to the window on the west. Moreover, the core height of the furniture was set at 300mm below the slab so that the wind would travel above it. The ceiling of the concrete, which gradually rise, invites natural light to the interior. The green of the slope on the east side can be seen at the end of the rising ceiling.

House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Beam
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners
Section 3
House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Stairs, Windows, Beam, Handrail
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

On the first floor, the rising floor blocks view from the street and ensures privacy, while also inviting light and wind from outside. In addition, the oppressive feeling exuded by the 3m-tall retaining wall on the east side is skillfully minimized by the rising floor, directing the eye to the green that is beyond. An acryl was used for the toilet's ceiling, located in the core furniture of the first floor, allowing natural light to enter even though it is placed at the center of the floor.

House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Countertop
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

The second floor gradually slopes to provide a comfortable space as if to replicate the hills outside. The roof slab is also slightly bent. This was done to prevent the rainwater that collects on the parapet-less roof from flowing to the windows. The water that is collected at the center travels to the ground through the slit on the southern wall.

House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Image 14 of 35
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

The design sought to build a house with one basement floor and two stories above ground in which the levels underground and above ground are stacked in an equal way. However, once the framework was completed at the site, everyone began to call the basement the first floor, the first floor the second floor, and the third floor the second floor. In the end, we could not tell which floor was which, giving life to a very intriguing house in which you are above the ground while you remain below it.

Note: This project was originally published on October 28, 2014

House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects - Facade, Windows
© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

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About this office
Cite: "House in Byoubugaura / Takeshi Hosaka Architects" 17 May 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/560171/house-in-byoubugaura-takeshi-hosaka> ISSN 0719-8884

© Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners

横滨屏风之浦小屋 / 保坂猛建筑都市设计事务所

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