Photo© Kei SuginoPhoto© Kei SuginoPhoto© Kei SuginoPhoto© Kei SuginoPhoto© Kei SuginoPhoto© Kei SuginoPhoto© Kei SuginoThis small residential building is located in Hanshin area, a minute walk from nearby station. The site area is approximately 69m2. It is a town house designed for a young family. The lot is 4.5 metres in width and 50 metres in depth. The west side of the plot faces a street, and the south side faces an adjacent building. There is a height restriction of 5 metres for the north side of the lot, however this side enjoys the view of the vegetation from the adjacent residence. The east side faces a waterway.
South and north sides of the house are enclosed by plane walls with few small openings for ventilation purposes in order to avoid being seen by the neighbors. Contrastively, east and west sides are fully glazed. The building also takes light from the atrium and the roof top terrace.
The ground floor consists of master bedroom which is connected to outside through doma (a space situated at the same level as the ground comprising the entrance hall). The first floor consists of children’s room, kitchen and bathroom. The upmost floor consists of a living room where is possible for all family members to gather. The building shape is planned so to realize the maximum possible size despite the height restriction. Continuity between inside and out is realized by locating balconies on the east and west sides connected to the atrium and the rooftop balcony. In this house, inside becomes essentially just another outside.
The vertical connection between the entrance hall and the rooftop terrace is seamlessly continuous. This house is like a minivan that accommodates a family. The title of this work “steel wall” is given by the fact that there are two load-bearing walls that carries the horizontal forces acting in transverse direction. They are located symbolically at the centre of the building and give continuity to architectural design with other structural members such as the mesh walls supporting the steel staircase as well as the texture of steel.
