House in Tama
Located in Tama, on the border of Kanagawa and Tokyo, this house sits on the southern slope of a hill, surrounded by rolling terrain. The serene atmosphere of the Buddhist cemetery on the northern slope extends across the ridge, blending into the quiet streetscape of the residential area to the south. The site is flanked by roads on its eastern and southern edges, following the topography. Despite being located in a densely populated residential district, this corner plot benefits from abundant sunlight and a tranquil luminosity, evoking a sense of clarity and calm.
The architect divided the structure into two levels: a ground floor and a partially submerged basement. The basement accommodates a set of functional spaces ( bath, toilet and etc...) two bedrooms, and a garage. The washrooms and bedrooms are encased within a fully enclosed concrete box, while the garage remains entirely open to the street. This concrete volume is positioned at the heart of the area which includes the site and the street, while supportting the upper floor slab together with the natural slope. The ground floor is defined by four freestanding concrete walls, whose tapered profiles give them the appearance of massive monoliths deliberately placed on a platform when viewed from the street. These walls not only imbue the space hidden behind with a sense of heaviness and mystery but also create a continuous spatial flow around them, subtly dissolving the boundary between the site and the surrounding street.
Looking from the street, the building commands the entire street corner, preserving an air of enigma within while fostering a serene and luminous atmosphere. Entering the enclosed ground floor space from the highest point at the northeast corner of the site, through the gaps between the walls, feels akin to stepping onto a suspended platform, entirely detached from the external terrain. The four monolith-like walls fragment the external environment, obstructing views from the street and transforming the mundane streetscape into an abstract geometric composition.
The wooden flat roof is simply placed atop the northern walls, forming both the interior space and a terrace-like area. The living space and kitchen are set 40 centimeters below the platform level, with the floor finished in darkened wood to mitigate the perception of depth. From the outside, this sunken area resembles a ceremonial altar, where daily life unfolds in a relatively secluded setting. A staircase in the southwest corner of the sunken area descends to the basement, where occupants are entirely protected from the outer world . In the bedrooms, residents are cocooned in a state of tranquility, just like hibernation, with only skylights offering the morning light and the nocturnal stars in the sky.
The living space opens up to a bright and abstract world, gazing outward from the living space, one is met with a luminous and meditative vista. The two skylights on the platform, along with the monolith-like walls, serve as distinctive elements—one gazes downward, where the street runs into the garage space beneath the platform, while the other one connects to the most intimate space in the house, bathing it in both sunlight and moonlight.
