Text description provided by the architects. This small house was built for a couple who have finished raising their children and are retired. The house is located in an old residential area on the outskirts of Tokyo, blessed with lots of greenery and a good environment.
The building is kept low so as not to overwhelm the surrounding houses, and part of the sloped roof is used as a loft. The loft floor is suspended from the ceiling, making it appear to be floating in mid-air.
The building is made of wood, with standard cypress lumber used for the pillars and beams, and the exterior walls are also covered with cypress boards. In addition, solar heat collector panels are installed on the roof, and air heated by the panels is blown under the floor for use as heating.
A small house does not oppress others, does not waste energy, and is a public way of being. For this project, we chose a construction method that would reduce the burden on the environment by making the building small.
