Daigo Ishii + Future-scape Architects

40 sq.m.
431 sq.ft.

The house with the skip floor form that is based on the height gap of the half-story between the road and the site. Parents and three daughter live here.

The construction area is 36 m2. So, it was important for the design to think about the comfort in the limited area and low cost.

By the skip floor form, each level connects one after another. The usual house has discontinuation between other level. This house is contrastive. So, in this house, there is no gap between each floor, and the family's sign is transmitted easily, so the new communication form between the family is generated.

As the effect of the skip floor, they can look at two levels at a time, upper and lower, so they feel the space more widely than usual flat floor house. Besides, when they look up at the upper floor, they can get the sky view through the upper floor window. Both effects are devices for giving a visual and mental spread to this small house.

The space is continuous, so it is easy that the presence of each other transmits mutually. In the flat floor house, the direction of the communication is only horizontal. In this house, not only horizontal but above and below. So, the position of the short daughter may be higher than her parents. The continuation and the various directivity make the communication more strong and abundant.

Location : Aihara, Machida, Tokyo, Japan

Architect : Daigo Ishii + Future-scape Architects

Structure Engineer : Oga Structure Design Office

Equipment Engineer : Akenoi Equipment Design Office

Cooperacion : Hiroyuki Kato

Construction : Sagami Tekken Construction Company

(Left) See the children's room upstairs and the living room downstairs from the parent's bedroom. The interiror doesn't make feel like a 36-square-meter floor area because the line of eyes goes through the two floors and the sky. (Right) See the parent's bedroom half downstairs and the terrace upstairs from the children's room. The parent's bedroom can be opened and closed with folding doors.

A skip-floor house that utilizes the height difference of half a floor between the road and the site. When viewed from the outside, the position of the exteriror walls and the volume composition are adjusted so that it does not protrude from the surrounding houses.

See the exterior appearance from the road in the daytaime and in the night. The entrance is at the road level and is semi-underground. The lowered parts on both sides are the concrete retaining wall, and its height shows the site level.

The house uses materials that are often used in this area, such as concrete retaining wall, ALC board, and wire mesh fence, but by changing how to use, the house create an autonomous atmosphere without protruding from the streetscape.

The diagam shows the state of the skip floor using the height difference of half a floor between the road and the site. It consists of 7 levels. From each floor, family members can see the space above the half floor and below the half floor and the sky, so they feels wider than it really is. Family communication is also generated not only horizontally but also vertically and becomes more lively.

See the paretn's bedroom upstairs and the kitchen downstairs from the living room.

(Left) See the living room half upstairs and the study half upstairs from the kitchen. The sky can be seen through the window of the living room. The cherry board is used for the kitchen table, and a radiant heater is placed on the floor to warm the feet when eating. (Right) See the parent's bedroom half upstairs and the kitchen half upstairs from the living room.

Look up at the children's room and loft from the parent's bedroom.

See the parent's room downstairs and the terrace upstairs via the passage from the entrance of the children's room.

The Study space in the children's room on the second floor. The three daughters have their own passages and chests of drawers, and at the depth of the passages is a shared study space. When going up the ladder, there is a loft space to sleep for children.

(Left)The study space in the children's room on the 2nd floor. (Right) A passage in the children's room. Each of three daughters has a passage with a chest of drawers.

The loft space in the children's room. It is a Sleeping space for children. A part of it is a duckboard floor so that the futon bedding will absorb moisture. On the right is a space to store a futon with a floating floor.

The study at the road level. See the stairs and the kitchen on the half floor in front.