Dezeen Magazine

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Natural light diffuses into this house in Yokohama, Japan, through a grid of arched skylights in the ceiling.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

The translucent acrylic panels cover the entire ceiling of the single-storey house, which was designed by Japanese architect Takeshi Hosaka.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Windowless timber walls line the interior, where four bedrooms and a study surround an open-plan living room.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

A table at the centre of this living room has a glass surface that reflects the ceiling lattice overhead.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Ladders lead up from two of the bedrooms to a mezzanine loft, which can also be accessed via an adjacent staircase.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Another staircase outside the house connects the front door with the street two metres above.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Daylight House was awarded second prize in the AR House 2011 awards, behind a house covered in rubber - see that project here and see last year's winner here.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

This is the second project by Takeshi Hosaka on Dezeen in the last week - click here to see a house with small windows on the walls, roof and ceilings and here for all our stories about the architect. [add link once other story is published, or if this one is first then swap the lines from across the posts]

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Photography is by Koji Fujii / Nacasa & Partners Inc.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Here are some more details from Hosaka:


Daylight House

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

This is a house in which residents live under natural lighting from the sky.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

The site is five minutes walk from the railway station, and it is surrounded by a mixture of detached dwellings and 10-floor condominiums and office buildings.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

In this location nested in a valley between buildings, the light streaming down from the sky above felt precious.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

A couple with two children planned to build their home in this spot.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

The building was structured by laying a basic grid (approx. 1500mmx1600mm) over the site, and using a the volume of a single high-ceilinged room with a bedroom, kids’ room and study partitioned off using fittings approximately half the height of the ceiling.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

The expanse of the entire ceiling can be felt from any room.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Light from 29 skylights (approx 700mm square) installed in the roof illuminate the room as soft light diffused through the curved acrylic ceiling plates.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

The direct light falling from the clear square skylights cuts a distorted square image on the curved acrylic ceiling.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

At the same time, the entire curved acrylic ceiling is uniformly lit with white light by selecting the distance between the skylights and the curved acrylic ceiling, their size, the color of the acrylic and the color of the interior panels after studying models and mockups to achieve the desired effect.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

There is an air space between the acrylic surface and the roof, and forced air is used to eject air heated by the sun in summer out of the building, while movement of the air is stopped in winter to use the air layer as a thermal buffer to ensure the thermal environment indoors is stable.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Upon entering the building, there is so much light from the sky that it is hard to believe that the site is nested in a dark valley created by buildings. This house was named “Daylight House.”

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Daylight does not simply indicate light from the sun, but refers to the beautiful light throughout the day.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

The day begins with the rising sun, which then falls and sets, followed by the rising moon which gradually wanes until it is replaced by the rising sun the next day.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

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The house provides a rich experience of the beauty of the light over 24 hours.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

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Architect: Takeshi Hosaka

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

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Structural Engineers: Hirofumi Ohno
Client: Keigo Nishimoto

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Name of the project: Daylight House

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Exact definition of the building: a couple and 2 chirdren (boy & girl)

Location of the project: Yokohama , JAPANDaylight House by Takeshi Hosaka
Location of the project: Yokohama , JAPAN
Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Construction nature: wooden-structure

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka

Site: 114.92 m2
Building area: 73.60 m2
Floor area ratio: 85.04 m2
Building height: 5388 mm
No. of floors: 2F
Building function: house

Design: February 2010 – April 2011
Planning start: February 2010
Beginning of construction: September 2010
Completion: March 2011