yoshinori sakano architects divides tiny tokyo house into seven split levels clad in plywood

with a minimal footprint of just 26 sqm, this tiny tokyo house by yoshinori sakano architects is divided into seven split levels without partitions. a staircase situated in the middle of the building connects all levels, while almost all interior surfaces are clad in larch plywood panels, cut into parallelograms and laid out in a herringbone pattern. the exterior of the house is wrapped in an ivory façade of galvanized steel sheets arranged in the same pattern as inside, which evokes a more three-dimensional experience of the entire project.

all images © takumi ota

drawings courtesy of yoshinori sakano architects

yoshinori sakano architects has set the entire house, together with a biscuit shop on the ground floor, on a 26 sqm building plan. a metal staircase connects the ground level with the kitchen and the dining room on 1.5 level, then the living space on the second level, and finally the sleeping area on the top floor. a second set of steps, this time in concrete, goes down from the ground level to the basement, where the storage and bathroom are located.

all seven split levels inside the house are visually connected, which makes each one of them feel sufficient and roomy despite the limited space. ‘this gives a feel that each resident lives in multiple small spaces yet one large space simultaneously,’ notes yoshinori sakano architects. almost all interior surfaces are made of larch plywood panels, each cut into a parallelogram and laid out in a herringbone pattern.

residents can move quickly from one space to another, resulting in a constant movement that the japanese architects compare to ‘mutters of twitter, where short messages are sent out through the internet.’ each action in these small spaces is unique, but always connected to one another. ‘we hope the house resembles a closed flower bud squeezed into a metropolis,’ adds the studio.