Axis House / T-Square Design Associates

Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Image 9 of 29
© Yohei Sasakura

Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Chair, CountertopAxis House / T-Square Design Associates - Image 7 of 29Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - FacadeAxis House / T-Square Design Associates - Interior Photography, Living Room, ChairAxis House / T-Square Design Associates - More Images+ 24

Kobe, Japan
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  170
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Yohei Sasakura
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  AutoDesk, Grohe, CELA, Caldewai, Sankyo Tateyama aluminum, Sanwa, Shinsei shouji, Toto, Zeyko
  • Lead Architects: Shigeru Tsuda
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Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Facade
© Yohei Sasakura

Text description provided by the architects. This single family house is located at a newly developed housing area on a mountain top, looking down on the city that spreads below.  The unique shape of the site like a Japanese fan, part of it being a steep hill led to come up with two axis to be set on site and the plan was made according to these two axis.

Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Interior Photography, Facade, Windows
© Yohei Sasakura

Since the house is designed for a family from Taiwan, one axis sits on the line that connects Japan and Taiwan, and the other axis connecting Taiwan and China which also matched perfectly with the shape of the site.

Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Image 29 of 29
1st floor plan
Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Image 24 of 29
A-A Section

Planning the house according to these axis made the house not facing towards the view, the main sales point of the site. However, when the architect first visited the site, he felt very uncomfortable to see all existing houses facing towards same direction, the view, with wide openings (windows) that look like a big mouth, a common axis shared by the community connecting the site and the view.

Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Interior Photography, Living Room
© Yohei Sasakura

And in order to see the view, the roads are planned on the opposite side from the view leading the façade of the houses opposite from the view. This means all houses’ back side are facing towards the view. Therefore, when someone approaches this housing area from the bottom driving up, the back side of the houses are to be seen as a townscape.  So, to come up with a new axis, the above rule was established connecting three countries and by doing so, each side of the house became the façade without any back side.

Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Image 13 of 29
© Yohei Sasakura

The first floor is made of concrete to protect the house from any landslides and the second floor is a steel structure to make the house light. The wide opening on both sides of the second floor allows the mountain wind to blow through the house as well as to achieve the openness and to connect interior with exterior.

Axis House / T-Square Design Associates - Exterior Photography, Windows, Cityscape
© Yohei Sasakura

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Cite: "Axis House / T-Square Design Associates" 18 Nov 2019. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/928623/axis-house-t-square-design-associates> ISSN 0719-8884

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