This house in Takarazuka city by Japanese architects EASTERN Design Office has a studio supported above the residence on two mounds of crushed marble.
Called Mountains and Opening House, the project on a sloping site is a home and studio for a footwear designer.
The living areas are on the lower floor, sheltered on three sides by the earth of the sloping site.
Meanwhile the studio above cantilevers out and overlooks the Osaka Plain.
More about EASTERN Design Office on Dezeen:
Horizontal House (October 2009)
Slit Court (October 2009)
MON Factory/House (October 2009)
Slit House (October 2009)
Photographs are by Koichi Torimura.
Here's some more information from the architects:
Mountain/Opening
Deck on the Mountain
The Material of the Mountain
The outside (exterior) mountain is formed into a mound by piling up soil excavated from the slope. The surface of the mound is a type of raw material made from crushed marble called “Kansuiâ€. Glittering fragments of crushed marble on a whity surface shine brilliantly. There are two white mountains. The living quarters are inside the white mountain while atop the white mountainous wave is a deck.
One of the two white mountains functions as a structural support for this building, while the other mountain conceals the bathroom. These two mountains are also set into the living spaces of the residential quarters.
The Structure of the Deck
The framework of the upper floor is steel and the lower floor is reinforced concrete. The upper floor evokes a sense of being on the deck of a boat and in order to achieve this feeling architectural columns and walls are designed as to make one unaware of their existence.
Entering the house from the northern road, a 14meter wide opening and the 16.5 meter x3 meter terrace outside create the feeling that your own body is floating in the scenery. This is a deck.
To achieve this, we used two different methods.
- Revaluation of the trusses. It is not immediately apparent; however, since horizontal slits were cut into the northern wall, trusses were set into it. It is like the structure of a bridge. Bridges are set into the upper part of the horizontal slits which allow the floor to float in the air while concealing the structural device.
- Concealing the structural members in the curves Columns are in the curves forming the openings and this also is concealed. The curves of the openings respond each other with the curves of the mountains. A fantasy created by the repeated curves appearing over and over again.
Living Space + Opening + Mountain
The lower floor fully utilizes the slope of the mountain. The hidden areas become mountainsã€while the areas that is required light become valleys. These rolling undulations are all part of the design.
Two Horizontal Eaves
There are two thin iron plate eaves on the openings: one with the length of 14 meters on the upper floor and the other with 16.5 meters on the lower floor.
The upper and lower floors are used in different ways. The upper floor is a design room.The lower floor houses residential quarters. That is there are public spaces within the residential quarters.
The demand of how the spaces should be is different; therefore, the structure is also different.
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Taking balance to unify the upper and lower portions, the curves of the mountain are made continuous with the curves of the openings.
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There are two thin iron plate eaves on the openings: one with the length of 14 meters on the upper floor and the other with 16.5 meters on the lower floor.
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The thickness of the iron plate is only 9mm. The straight line of these two eaves emphasizes the expansive spreading horizontal width of this house. Consequently, this makes you forget that the house is on a sloped site.
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Blue and White
The overall whiteness is not just a general white coat of paint. It is white mixed with blue.
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This is because we want white that　corresponds with the blue sky. In addition, we intend this white to reflect the light of fragments of marble scattered in the raw material which covers on the surface of two newly built mountains.
Anna Nakamura+Taiyo Jinno/EASTERN design office
See also:
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| Horizontal House by EASTERN Design Office |
Slit House by EASTERN Design Office |
MON Factory/House by EASTERN Design Office |
The form looks a a bit too much like a Denari building with strange circle cuts added on for my tastes but look at that view! Its hard to do wrong with that.
A great design! can’t understand the circle on the roof edge though !
Fantasic interior, and view.
I like the curve lines seen from the inside.
So un-Japanese.
It’s soooo awsome to be rich!
Evidence of the existence of the mythical building-eating caterpillar!
They must be very happy to get a commission like this and have obviously enjoyed it. Some discipline is clearly needed to rein in the multitude of ideas in this building: holes, mounds, steel sheets, columns, concrete walls. The mounds are nice, I don’t know why they didn’t just stick with that and forget about the other gimmicks.
BOOLEAN FTW
WOW what a house.
Like Mies, Myer & Denari all in one. Beautiful.
Whoa,
looks like a reebok
I find this as a very superficial and gratuitous design for a house. Another example of what’s wrong these days in architecture. I can’t stand this kind of overdesigned projects.
dident like it on first impression but then actually, when super arch is done well like it is here,
I love it.
and also wish i was rich
good work!
Love it.
But what’s with the circle cuttings?
This house has the right kind of priorities. A designer understands the need for a public space within a residence, and this house addresses the needs of the designer as both a resident and a professional. The entry space of the house is tailored for a public audience, perhaps people coming to view her studio space/footwear designs. The private residence space feels sheltered and cozy, sitting quietly below the studio.
Granted there are a few oddities, like the cutouts, I think the biggest disappointment is this “japanese room” which has been placed like a rug, covering excess floor space. It would take away from the gorgeous view, but perhaps it could use some dramatic integration, like a ‘japanese style’ paper wall/divider. And there’s too much wood flooring, it doesnt quite go with everything else, conceptually…
absolutely beautiful, interiors are as stunning as the exterior form, an advantageous hillside site as well
circle cut is a gesture towards the tree just below it
at least the 5th photo makes it seem that way
damn, who showed them the boolean tool