Slideshow: Japanese architects Future Studio conceived the rooftop terrace of this Hiroshima house as a stage, with its audience in the living room and kitchen.
A ladder leads up from the first floor rooms to the sun deck, which is visible behind a plane of clear glass and two glazed doors.
The walls of the house are rounded, and a second staircase follows these curves to connect the living room with ground floor rooms below.
Brush strokes are visible on the dark-rendered exterior walls and all the windows are square.
The project was completed in 2011, around the same time as the architects also finished a series of colourful public toilets - see them here.
Photography is by Toshiyuki Yano.
Here's some text from Future Studio:
Light stage house
The concept of this house, "sunlight stage" is a proposal of the way of taking sunlight on the site where the condition of sunlight is severe.
The taking point of sunlight is set to a high position of the north side of the house, and all plans arise there.
It becomes the plan of the curved surface because running on of the sun is analyzed, and the angle of incidence is calculated, and brightness is brought to the residence space by the reflection of sunlight.
The sunlight stage changes by making it to a curved and edgeless surface according to the change in the solar position in the difference and the weather, and the space changes.
In the large space of the curved space that changes with the sunlight stage where it keeps changing the expression, we feel the sense wrapped in light from the sunlight stage gently.
Name of the project: Light stage house
Architect: Bunzo Ogawa
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Use: Private house
Building area: 52.14sqm
Gross area: 104.28sqm
Building scale: 2 stories
Structure system: Timber
Period of design: 2009.11-2010.11
Period of construction: 2010.12-2011.6
At least this is not the usual superminimalistic (read poorly designed) Japanes house. There are a lot of nice stuff, like the treatment of the exterior, the staircase and the curve theme.
I personally have a problem with curves (in plan) especially for little houses, you always end up with a lot of unused/useless spaces, and even if they tried to solve this problem by stretching the circle, the curved spaces (japanese room, bedroom and child room) are not fully usable.
Just a quick "tip" (I know I might sound too precise…) but sun rises/falls like shown in the schemes only during the equinoxes, but probably this will not drastically change how the light will bounce on the terrace. (the difference for 34°N is almost about 30° NE/NW during the summer solstice and 30° degree SE/SW during the winter one..)
Klaus, superminimalistic requires a lot of design. You better do some reading up!
I don't think so..so many architects nowadays hide behind the word minimalism. true minimalism IS deeply thought, but nowadays we see so many things described as minimal, but a lot of them are just crap…
Very nice project. I really like the recessed, eye shaped lights. Anyone know what they are?
Instead of having all the Western 'mixed cocktails' in the stomach, the Japanese just want to make a 'nice cup of tea' from time to time. Never bored of simple pleasures.
Less is more! Well played