Compact residence in Tokyo by Yoritaka Hayashi Architects

This unusual residence was a project named “House in Nakameguro” developed by Yoritaka Hayashi Architects. The house is located in Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese architecture firm had to deal with a challenging site. Its small dimensions and location made the team rethink their strategy and forced them to innovate. The result was this interesting and unusual structure.

The House in Nakameguro is in fact a simple structure. It seems small but it actually features three levels. The building has a very compact design. It resembles a cubic white box with small openings here and there. The ground level is partially opened. It accommodated a covered entrance and the stairwell. The second floor of the building houses the kitchen, dining room and living room. This could be called the social area. The third and fourth floors are the private areas. They accommodate the bedrooms, the washroom and a study room.

It seems that the internal structure is quite efficient and practical. All the social areas have been combined to form a large space covering the entire second floor while the private areas have been strategically placed on the top two floor where they can benefit from panoramic views and where there’s also peace and quiet. These elements alone are enough to make the residence unique. Still, there’s more. The residence was built using strips of translucent glazing for the borders and this makes the house light up during the night. It would be impossible to fool any unwanted guests with such a transparent house.{found on designboom}.