artechnic wraps angular wall around SRK residence in tokyo

japanese studio artechnic architects designed the SRK residence in the meguro ward just south of tokyo’s city center, japan. on a suburban plot with a considerable grade change of almost four meters across the transverse axis, the site conditions became the impetus for the design of the structure. as the tallest portion of the property also contained the largest trees and the client wanted to preserve as much of the vegetation present, an angled retaining wall was built around this portion of the elevated topography which wraps around the back of the site and is integrated into the building as the outer wall. with this protective faceted partition that winds over itself, the client is able to enjoy visual privacy from the neighbors while framing within it an airy and light-filled environment.

the plaza serves as the junction between the existing warehouse and the new glass structure
image © hiroyasu sakaguchi A to Z (also first image)

within the outer wall, artechnic designed a secondary envelope of glass contains the conditioned spaces and allows private views and access to an exterior patio that wraps around the entire home. the height of the privacy wall is carefully designed to conceal all internal activity at human scale but falls just short enough to provide glimpses of the city beyond and allow plenty of natural light to the interior. the concrete-cast house is organized over two levels, with the private bedroom and bathroom located on the ground floor within a more concealed space and only calculated windows to the exterior. the upper level enclosed within glass walls contains the living room and kitchen with an elevated floor system that helps delineate the various uses. angled steel columns stay visually minimal around the perimeter of the space opening the floor plan to be free of structure and feel spacious.

the outer wall conceals the home inside while still allowing natural light to penetrate into the space from all angles
image © nacasa & partners

a patio serves as a private outdoor space
image © hiroyasu sakaguchi A to Z

the open-plan upper level features large expanses of glass walls and windows
image © hiroyasu sakaguchi A to Z

custom fixtures work in conjucntion with the architecture to define the space
image © nacasa & partners

image © nacasa & partners

the lower level, in contrast to the upper, features a more opaque nature for the private program
image © nacasa & partners

the plaster finish of the exterior wall is carried through to the interior
image © nacasa & partners

project info:

project title: srk
architects: kotaro ide / artechnic architects
assistant: ruri mitsuyasu
mechanical and electrical design: kotaro ide / artechnic architects
structural engineer: naomi kitayama / nao
constructor: hiroyuki wada / wada construction
client: kazuyuki shirakura
location: meguro, tokyo, japan
principal use: residence
structure: reinforced concrete / steel
foundation: spread foundation
building scale: 2 stories / maximum height 6.89m
site area: 234.44 m2
building area: 113.54 m2 (building coverage ratio 48.43％ legal max.50％)
total floor area: 176.08 m2 (floor area ratio 71.18％ legal max.100％)
completion: june 2014

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artechnic wraps angular wall around SRK residence in tokyo

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