A' House

Located in the heart of Tokyo, A' House was designed for a couple with two children, and is sited in a high density, rapidly gentrifying neighborhood characterized by low-rise residential houses and narrow streets nearby a large park. The house occupies a corner lot with south and west facing façades, taking full advantage of minimal local regulations on volume, allowing for site-specific house to be realized. The concrete structure is wrapped in relief glass with a white printed pattern, giving the house a monolithic appearance.

The volume consists of four horizontally divided spaces with floor slabs of varying heights, each connected by a small vertically screwed staircase that, given the footprint of the building, allowing for loft like spaces. Two bedrooms and a bathroom are situated on the lower level, a kitchen and dining area on the ground floor, living and study on the first floor, and a master bed and bath on the highest floor, with an adjacent outdoor terrace on the front end of the house. The terrace is located on the south, allowing for the best possible natural lighting, and the façade envelopes this space.

Location
Tokyo, Japan

Program
Housing

Size
136 m2

Date of design
2007-2009

Date of completion
2012

Project team
Wiel Arets, Satoru Umehara, Alex Kunnen

Collaborators
Jörg Lüthke, Jean-Jacques Jungers, Sadamu Shirafuji, Ilze Paklone

Client
Arets-Sijsterman

Consultants
Tai Mikio Architect & Associates, LOW FAT Structure INC, EOS plus Co. LTD, Comodo Co. LTD, Oskomera Group BV, Saint Gobain Glass, Eiger Co. LTD