Curving metal terrace for potted plants fronts home in Tokyo by HOAA
Japanese studio HOAA has completed House in Nakano, a timber-lined home in Tokyo that is buffered from the street by an elevated, looping metal terrace for potted plants.
The 96-square-metre residence in the Nakano ward was designed to act as both a studio and home for HOAA founder Hiroyuki Oinuma and his family.
Desiring spaces with garden views but restricted by the compact, built-up site, Oinuma introduced what he calls the Kazari Garden.
The Kazari Garden is a looped metal terrace for potted plants, raised on metal stilts to be visible from the first-floor living areas. It is named after a Japanese word for ornament or decoration.
"I wanted a house with large windows that open onto the garden, but the site was in a densely built-up residential area on three sides except for the road on the north side, so I decided to place the large windows and garden on the north side," Oinuma told Dezeen.
"However, north-facing windows are generally not popular in Japan as they do not let in much light and create a dark view," he continued.
"To solve this problem, I created the Kazari Garden, a looping terrace that bypasses the road to seek out sunlight by the large dining room window on the second floor, adding a sparkling glow to the view from the window."
While offering space for plants, the raised metal walkway incorporates steps that form a dedicated entrance into the first floor of House in Nakano.
Here there is a large living, dining and kitchen area, which steps up to two bedrooms at the rear of the home.
A raised, engawa-like space between the garden walkway and the living space frames a ribbon window finished with wired glass.
This is one of several industrial-style finishes throughout the interior, with others being a stainless steel counter and light fittings made from brass pipe.
On the ground floor below, HOAA's studio and workshop sit alongside an additional bedroom, overlooking a smaller back garden and a large planter beneath the home's internal stair, which is illuminated by a skylight.
Both the staircase and the living room have been lined with built-in shelving made from the same dark timber that covers the home's walls and ceilings. These shelves display the family's collection of books, ceramics, plants and photographs.
"The split-floor layout takes advantage of the difference in elevation of the site, so you can see the garden from anywhere. Simply moving around the house unfolds a lyrical landscape like a short film," said Oinuma.
"We considered cherished vessels, books, photographs and plants to be representations of our lives up to now," he added.
"By surrounding the flow of movement with shelves on which to display these items, we thought that we could create just the right amount of tension in the home, like a small art museum, and foster the motivation to live mindfully in the future."
House in Nakano is topped by a shallow-pitched metal roof that sweeps down to create a gently curved ceiling above the dining area. Externally, the home is covered in a moss green render chosen by Oinuma to reflect the surrounding planting.
Other recent residential projects in Tokyo include a home by Keiji Ashizawa, which is wrapped by wooden louvres and sliding shoji screens for privacy, and House in Saidera, which Akio Isshiki Architects clad in charred cedar.
The photography is by Takuya Seki.
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