tokyo-based studio AAE permeates its K2 house with gardens

taketo shimohigoshi of tokyo-based studio AAE sites the K2 house along the edge of a residential neighborhood dense with wooden houses. the house is organized as a collection of three triangular volumes surrounding one rectangular volume. the dense nature of the surrounding urban fabric creates a condition of narrow gaps between houses which form green paths that let through wind and light. the organization of the program of the house began with the designer’s philosophies on green space and gardens: ‘making a garden creates a life-scape and a townscape. it can be a social behavior to settle in by personalizing one’s living space and expressing one’s personality.’

all images © shigeo ogawa

upon siting the rectangular volume into the semi-triangular site, AAE is left with three resulting triangular corners. the central volume holds private spaces in the second level which is lifted by the framework of the triangular volumes. beneath the elevated private program are the kitchen, dining, living areas — these programs are distinguished by changes in elevation rather than by partitions. the first floor program bleeds out into the surrounding triangular volumes which allow natural elements through generous glazing.

each of the three triangular volumes responds to the urban context. the eastern volume provides a covered terrace with an open-air garden wedged between the eastern and central volumes. the terrace reveals only a hint of the interior from the street. its tilted roof buffers strong winds from the park side, allowing in a breeze when a sliding door beside the garden is open. the western volume contains the kitchen and dining area that opens onto a garden strip linking to the green paths in the neighborhood. the northern volume shapes a white abstract space, filtering in light from above.