House K | miya akiko architecture atelier

House K

The client was a young couple in their mid-thirties with their 8-months baby, when they first came to my studio in Yokohama. The site was part of the garden of the husband’s parents’ house that was built nearly 35 years ago. Many kinds of trees have grown through these years. They requested me with their own conceptual words like these; the fusion between inside and outside, the flexibility to use the space, not separating the site by the house but enlarging by that, find a new concept of the small house; the extent of space in harmony with the surroundings, etc.

Photography by © Shinkenchiku-sha

These ideas were very close to my concept that I have been thinking always. Moreover, I deeply agreed with their opinion that they wanted to live with neighbors together with good relationships without the border of the building lot. “house K” is constituted by 13 wooden walls. It may seem to be placed randomly, but they are placed on the polar coordinate system based on the human scale. Each wall is placed 700mm apart from the origin of the coordinate by keeping a 30°module. This is a distance of 2~3 steps between the walls and the wall is 1600mm wide, the width when people outspread their arms. The hexagonal shape was a result of connecting the edges of the walls, covered with laminated glasses that could reflect or pass through the outside greens.

Photography by © Shinkenchiku-sha

The disposition of the walls was studied based on this rule until finding a good relation between inside-inside and inside-outside. These walls organized the space loosely half open and half closed to one another. Each step you take, you could find a new relationship between the gardens. And while feeling the presence of others, everyone can choose their comfortable distance and relations with others. A space like this, people could live freely and creatively keeping the dynamic balance with the relation with the whole surroundings.

Photography by © Takumi Ota

Project Info:
Architects: miya akiko architecture atelier
Location: Yokohama, Japan
Area: 139 m²
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Shinkenchiku-sha, Takumi Ota, Jin Hosoya