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Architects: Wiel Arets Architects
- Area: 136 m²
- Year: 2014
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Photographs:Jan Bitter
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Consultants: Tai Mikio Architect & Associates, LOW FAT structure Inc., EOS plus, Comodo, Oskomera Group BV, Eiger Co. Ltd, Saint Gobain Glass
Text description provided by the architects. This compact private residence is nestled within the dense expanse of Tokyo, in Nishi-Azabu—a neighborhood characterized by narrow streets and traditional low-rise houses—which borders a park heavily visited during the spring, when the city’s cherry trees begin to bloom. Its 136-square-meter area consists of five horizontally divided spaces, each connected by a minuscule sculptural spiraling staircase that, given the footprint of the house, allows for loft-like spaces within its intimate confines. Oversized windows punctuate the house, each with two layers of glazing; one is transparent and one is of the same relief glass that wraps the façade. These oversized windows, with their dual layers of glazing, can be countlessly reconfigured, to regulate the interior flow of daylight.
