studio tawaraya completes house with gently curved wood ceiling in tokyo

studio tawaraya has completed a two-story house for a single family in a dense, yet quite residential area of tokyo, japan. similar to its surrounding buildings, the house comprises a typical residential shape, conforming to the local setback regulations. what is unique in the project is a hyperbolic paraboloid (hp) surface set between the first and second floors, which is not obvious from the outside. this gently curved wooden ceiling transforms the interior into a dynamic, comfortable space that receives enough natural light from the outside.images by shinichiro nagasawa, unless stated otherwise

‘as is often the case in a dense residential area, this site is surrounded by neighbors on three sides,’ explains studio tawaraya. ‘the theme here is how to create a cozy and comfortable home on this location.’ designed for a client that has many visitors, the house encloses a common room on the lower floor, which serves as a reception space. in order for the room to feel as spacious as possible, the rest of the floor is developed as an open plan space where the kitchen, dinning and living zones are located.

‘the problem was that the space on the lower floor cannot receive enough natural light as it is, and the ceiling height cannot be taken too much because of the regulation,’ adds the japanese studio.‘therefore, inserting a hp surface, which constitutes the first-floor ceiling and second-floor structure, was chosen as the solution.’

the gently curved ceiling made by the hp surface rises toward the front of the house, ensuring ceiling height and lighting from a higher position. the surface is constructed through a conventional wooden method, using 38 x 235 general standard size lumber. the upper floor, which encloses a master bedroom and a children’s room, is a split level matching the gradually rising structure. in order to make full use of the different levels, a bunk bed designed to match each level is placed in the center of the space and it plays a role as a partition that gently divides one room into two. image courtesy of studio tawaraya