a house that ‘dances in the city’ by Ashida Architects & Associates

 

In Shibuya Ward in Tokyo, Japan, design firm Ashida Architects & Associates designed a house that ‘dances in the city’. The building, which stands out from its commercial surroundings, takes the form of a narrow house with a glass-enclosed staircase that projects outward and draws an eye-catching arc, connecting residents to the neighborhood without compromising their privacy. The design emphasizes vertical flexibility, while curved forms highlight the fluidity of the space, and wood finishes provide warmth to the interiors.

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'
the house is located within a busy commercial area in Tokyo | all images by Yasuhiro Nakayama

 

 

open and relaxed way of living

 

The house, by Ashida Architects & Associates, was designed to provide an ‘open and relaxed’ way of living by incorporating the glazed staircase space that protrudes outwards. In this way, the narrow house, which would otherwise isolate itself from its surroundings and the city, acquires an extroverted character that connects with the urban environment that surrounds it.

 

This is surprising in today’s world, where life in the city is characterized by the rejection of the external environment. ‘In the past, the lively voices of family gatherings overflowed from the porch that opened onto the city and from the living room with open windows. Each house played its own way into the city,’ the Japanese architects share. That is the image they wanted to revive.

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'
curved forms highlight the fluidity of the space, and wood finishes provide warmth to the interiors

 

 

climbing up to the sky

 

Since the size of the plot does not allow horizontal flexibility, the architects put emphasis on verticality and more specifically the staircase. The stairs were placed on the front side of the street, and the exterior wall was covered with curved glass, drawing an arch. In this way, the staircase draws light into the dining room on the second floor, while the transparency of the glass makes users feel like they are climbing up to the sky.

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'
the glass-enclosed staircase draws light into the residence

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'
the design emphasizes vertical flexibility

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'
the transparency of the glass makes users feel like they are climbing up to the sky

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'
the glazed staircase space connects the second and the third floor

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'

curved glass-enclosed staircase peeps out of tokyo house that 'dances in the city'

 

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project info: 

 

name: House that dances in the city
architects: Ashida Architects & Associates
lead architects: Nobuhito Ashida, Jun Hariga
structure: Kei Suzuki/ASA
construction: Sakaeko Construction Responsible: Daisaku Saito

location: Shibuya Ward, Tokyo
land area: 50.99 sqm
building area: 35.59 sqm
total floor area: 120.74 sqm
photography: Yasuhiro Nakayama