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

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by Future Studio appeared first on Dezeen.

This colourful series of public toilets recently completed by Japanese architects Future Studio in Hiroshima have been designed to resemble origami cranes.

The 17 Hiroshima Park Restrooms come in three different shapes, but each one has a unique colour.

The restrooms are constructed entirely from concrete, which is punctured to create very small circular windows.

The paint used to colour each restroom can be wiped clean to allow easy maintenance.

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More public toilets on Dezeen »

The following is from the architect:

Hiroshima Park Restrooms – Absolute Arrows

Hiroshima City Planning chose the design from a competition to be the standard. It is the unique public project that approximately 5 restrooms are mass-produced in parks per year as regular design of the city

First of all, I considered that what should embed in “city”. I was aware of designing “multitude” strongly, which is not “a ” restroom in a park. And they should be given a meaning as a whole of the infrastructure in the city.

I aim to make an absolute axis in the city by being embedded the direction in infrastructure building in the city. The mass-produced urban facilities have a triangular roof pointing north.

By building in same direction, each restrooms have same space by sunshine. The same space of restroom is omnipresence all over Hiroshima.

I designed 3 variations of plans in this project. I provide with 2 entrances of east and west side, so that the plan is able to turn the other way around as it functions whichever entrance.

Structure of the restroom is box frame type reinforced concrete construction. The roof is also made by concrete. Concrete is poured by the ruler of stainless steel in the edge of the acute angle part of the roof.

The roof finishes by a fluoric resin topcoat after FRP waterproofing. Therefore it is possible to put the different color every roof of the restrooms. Each location has a different color roof that matches the playground.

I incline the roof, the north side is high, the south side is low, to be able to look at the roof facing north from eye-level. A slit-shaped top light goes to the south and north in the center of the roof and creates lines toward north inside and outside of space.

Acrylic lighting windows and round ventilation holes in eastern and western wall, and acrylic lighting windows in southern wall, are inlayed.

They function that controlling the environment of the internal space. For the finish of the outer wall, I adopted the photocatalytic coating paints that the dirt is easy to come off.

17 restrooms in 17 parks are completed in May in 2011. It is built around five places sequentially every year. The public restrooms with absolute arrows are being embedded infinitely in all over Hiroshima-city.

Project data
Name of the project : Hiroshima Park Restrooms –Absolute Arrows-
architect: Bunzo Ogawa
Location : Hiroshima, Japan
Use: Public Restroom
Client: Hiroshima-city
Building area : A type 15.56sqm, B type 11.88sqm, C type 7.62sqm
Gross area: A type 13.09sqm, B type 10.10sqm, C type 5.30sqm
Building coverage ratio / 2%
Building scale / 1 story
Structure system / RC
Period of design / 2008.9-2009.2
Period of construction / 2009.4-

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See also:

.

Public toilets by Plastik Architects	Royal Flush by Chris Briffa Architects	Lavatories by Shuichiro Yoshida Architects

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Japanese architects Future Studio have completed a house in Hiroshima City, Japan, where the walls of the building extend to enclose a garden and first-floor terrace.

A diagonal cut in the surrounding wall admits light to the garden and terrace without compromising the privacy of the residents.

Called Wrap House, the building is constructed from timber and clad in black galvanised steel plates.

The first floor living room has one glazed wall separating it from the terrace and garden below.

Photographs are by Toshiyuki Yano / Nacasa & Partners

Here's some more information from the architects:

--

WRAP HOUSE
2009, Hiroshima, JAPAN

‘WRAP HOUSE’ is grouping and wrapping the three elements sunlight, spacious sense and privacy to enrich the living space. The site is located in a flat residential quarter in the Southwest of Hiroshima City.

As the site is from all sides surrounded by houses, one of which is directly bordering the site boundary, it was necessary to come up with the following architectural arrangement.

To create a bright and wide space while protecting one’s privacy despite the site’s restrictions, a wall wraps around the full site creating a ‘void’ on the north side while respecting the permitted floor area ratio.

The north orientated living space is extended by a terrace, which is located adjacent to the parking space while facing the street to the north.

In addition, considering the natural sunlight conditions for the neighboring house to the west, a pitched roof was chosen and a v-shaped wall is surrounding the ‘void’ on the east side.

As a result, sunlight shines into the void in the morning and a ‘sunlight well’ is created.

The collected sunlight is reflected by a white wall, and illuminates the room gently. In the early morning, sunlight enters the void from the east.

As the sun rises further it shines through the upper window, and when the sun begins to decline light falls through the skylights.

Thus, as the way the light enters constantly changes from sunrise to sunset, the space changes with the flow of time.

When the night comes, the diagonally cut wall appears while the scenery around it disappears. A space different to the daytime emerges.

The external void space is perceived as an extension of the internal space, while the wrap-around wall is both protecting the privacy of the residence space against the surroundings and creating a spacious impression.

The sky can be seen from the bathroom on first floor, while the car can be overlooked from the master bedroom.

The entrance for both residents and car is facing the road to the north and is formed by a part of the wall which can be opened and shut providing access to the void space.

The sky framed by a diagonal wall extends to the top and an ash tree with a height of 6m penetrates the second floor terrace.

This north side buffer zone, although not included in the legal building footprint, plays a role in maximizing the site’s potential.

"WRAP HOUSE" with its north facing void is a proposal of a new architectural style resulting from restrictions

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