The huge tiled roof that wraps around this Tokyo house integrates arched windows and openings for tree branches.

Designed by Japanese architects ON design, the house conceals two of its three storeys behind the overhanging roof, which also shelters a stretch of land around the building's perimeter.

There are no windows on the low-ceilinged middle floor, as it is only used for storage.

The only bedroom is located on the ground level, while living rooms occupy the top floor.

ON design also more recently completed a house split into two halves - take a look here.

Photography is by Koichi Torimura.

Here's some more information from the architects:

“House with Eaves and an Attic”

This is a house located in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

The characteristic of this area is the hilly landscape. The site is located on the top of the hill and half of the site is a cliff.

There were many trees remained untouched on the cliff.

The clients request was to remain the trees to take over the memory of the site and to take into consider the sites from the mid rise building closely packed at the base of the cliff.

So we decided to set the house on the flat part of the site which is approximately 4.5m×16m foot print. By building a big roof with almost the same inclination of the site we tried to control the sight. The space under the eaves protects the house from sights and lead ones eyes to the cliff.

Small trees are taken into the interior by the eave and tall trees go through the halls of the roof.

The inclining roof creates an attic like space on the second floor.

The window on the roof shuts out sights from outside but gives a view of the trees. In the middle floor we did not create any windows and made it into a large storage space.

The roof, which is like an extent of the cliff, gives uniqueness to the house.

Data
Site: Tokyo,Japan
Structure: Wood
Total floor: 2 floors
Site area: 182.25㎡
Building area: 58.18㎡
Total floor area: 84.84㎡
Architect: On design Partners
Osamu Nishida+Takanori Ineyama+Rie Yanai
Structural engineers: Structured Environment

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by ON design appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese firm ONdesign have completed a wooden house in Fujisawa where two sliced halves are connected by a shared living area.

Resembling dollhouses, the two open facades both overlook the triple-height living room, which is called the Empty Lot.

This room is naturally day-lit from high-level windows and is contrastingly painted in white.

The side of the house containing the bathrooms accommodates a specially designed surfer storage room, while the half housing the kitchen contains a practice room for a musician.

You can see more Japanese houses here, including one that appears to be caving in.

Here's a little more information from ONdesign:

House with Empty lot

The site was an empty land leftover inside a ready made housing area.

This is a proposal of a new daily life going back and forth the large empty lot which accepts the extent of life and the two compact houses.

This house which is for a musician and a surfer couple has two houses to smarten up each others belongings.

They come out to the emty lot between their hobby time and go back to their own home and spend their own time.

The empty lot with overwhelming expansion inside the house encourages the surplus of daily life.

Site: Fujisawa, Kanagawa
Structure: wood

Site area: 140.45 sqm
Building area: 62.98 sqm

Architect: Osamu Nishida + Takanori Ineyama (ON design)
Structure design: Kazuyuki Ohara (BSI)
Construction: Best Home

The post House with Empty Lot by ON design appeared first on Dezeen.