'atelier house in ohiraki' blurs the boundaries between work and life

clues of past blends with present

‘atelier house in ohiraki’ serves as a combination of studio and residence, after the wish of the architect — who is the owner as well — to interact with local people and simultaneously not set clear boundaries between work and life. located in a local shopping street in osaka, japan, the project takes shape as an elongated structure with a transparent first floor that functions as atelier. setsuko sakakibara architect & associates renovated the two-story building with a rooftop, while as they removed what was inside, the steel frames stood out — a fact that played an important role in the new design.all images courtesy of shigeo ogawa, yasuhiro nakayama

‘I thought about the continuity of my life and the community.’

the atelier employed a simple layout with a long workbench placed in the middle, allowing free circular movement around it. the original pillars, beams, and ceiling were maintained and stripped out, while the architects cut out the lower part of the existing wall — the one facing the staircase — to allow a clear view for people on the first floor. to strengthen the visual connection between the different levels, setsuko sakakibara architect & associates (see more here) removed the roof slab creating continuity with a view opening towards the sky. the second floor served as a living space, includes all the necessary facilities organized in an open arrangement to generate a spacious layout, while from down, gives the impression that it’s flying.

‘I thought about the continuity of my life and the community.’ said the architect. ‘the emptiness, in the dense row of houses, takes in the wind, light and the atmosphere of the community, while also reflecting the aspects of life as people go up and down the staircase.’

the wall no longer acts as an exterior façade but holds the memories of the previous structure. the other wall has been transformed into an opening section, with a new screen installed to separate inside from the outside. the layers of old and new walls exposed the hollowed parts with the neighboring building.

outside seen from the second floor