This house in Osaka by architects Suga Atelier has a faceted concrete exterior that looks like a rockface.
Located on a triangular site that is surrounded by roads, House S eschews typical windows and instead features a narrow glass wall recessed into one corner and a glazed atrium that extends down through the centre of all three floors.
Rain falling through the nine-sided roof void passes two doughnut-shaped benches and drains into a sunken basin at the lowest level, although canopies can also be folded across the floors for shelter.
The house's concrete walls were formed against plywood, which has been reused to create internal walls, kitchen worktops and the floor of the second storey loft.
Floors and walls elsewhere in the house are lined with white plastic panels made from recycled bottles.
We also published another story last year about a house that lets the rain in. See it here.
Here's some more text from the architects:
S
There are things that are hard to see even its existence, unless we find suitable words or expressions.
Beside a major road, the house is present, resisting against traffic.
Since the house uses structural plywood that has pits surfaces as a formwork, the whole looks like a rough concrete retaining wall.
When looking through a slit that is protected by walls on both sides like an embrasure on the east side where the site extends, morning sun and the city could be viewed. However, the space is closed when the large entrance door that is the only major aperture is shut down.
Yet, the space is always wide open to the sky by the light court positioning in the center of the space that is slightly deformed in the shape of “L” due to the entrance.
The interior of the space is covered by recycled plastic bottles’ white polyester fiber mat in the same size of plywood (910mm×120mm), fixed to the walls and the ceilings with plastic screws using separators.
Needle-punched mats made with the same material cover the floor.
The idea was to express the light absorbing shining cocoon in addition to insulation and soundproofing.
The space became very quiet and pure like a deep cave.
The sense of walking onto it is like tatami-mat and the elastic walls are almost like a cushion.
It is a trial of a new floor-sitting life style that offers sitting and lounging wherever in the house.
On the other hand, furniture-like staircase and the loft, which are made relating the house, are made with recycled plywood used for formwork and keep the memoir.
The light brought from the sky draws blinking picture of light on the white floor through enneagon glass that always maintains a positive position.
Rain goes through the light court, beat down on the thin water basin on a garage floor and remain its traces.
Too… too many awkward spaces. Not my favorite, Dezeen.
This thing is so intense. Pretty awesome on the inside and out, although it is a whole lot of noise for not much usable space..
I don't see the purpose of the light cage! Why not just glaze the opening in the roof and allow more usable space?
a concept that could work well for a club or a brand showroom but for a house, – it makes for pretty uncomfortable living
Emotional, spiritual, and accurate . supper like
For church ok but this is a house. What about fonctionality?
great house
I would like to end my days in it. hope my last glass of red wine will not taint the floor
damn good
considering the awkward size and shape of the site, i think its a pretty decent building. like the corner window the best.
great space for self reflection.
powerful and peaceful architecture.
light well does look a little bit cramped.
Ingenious, but I would go mad.
fun and full of spatial surprises! makes living a perpetual joy, even confined between concrete walls…
A nice weekend getaway for Auric Goldfinger.
I feel awkward just looking at this. Not a fav space I have to say. Great colours tho & textures tho.
Hide the damn mini-split in the kitchen with a wooden louver!
Amazing! I can almost hear the wind up bird outside! The erm, enclosed hole seems a bit intrusive on the upper floors..? I'd love to see a video when it's raining though… where does all the water go again?? (i think this project might be a bit batty…)
Whoa; I don’t know what to feel exactly, but I’d love to be there for once..
central gap reminds me Endoh's Ellipse house.
So, if you're accurate enough, you can, in fact, jump through the hole in the roof, come straight through the hole in the bench and land 3 floors below. That's suicides taken to an entirely new level!
Bravo ! archi bravo …such extraodinary interior … very very japanese
I'm actually fairly impressed with the interior spaces. And using concrete like a folded paper enclosure. But those unfinished wood surfaces might have worked better against the unfinished concrete with a layer of solid color, or at least using a dressier grade.
beautifully crafted 5 stars prison.
can someone from japan answer: why do we always see that white ac unit exposed? is this some kind of obligation that architects have to choose the same white box and cannot hide it or use some other system?
What is it for, living? Feels like a modern prison…
Their next project is to convert the Hayward Gallery into apartments.
no front porch?!