Page 99 - AIT0719_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design ARTechnic architects, JP-Tokio
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1
Grundriss 2. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +2
Bauherr • Client privat
Standort • Location Setagaya-ku, JP-Tokio
Wohnfläche • Floor space 396 m 2
Fotos • Photos Nacása & Partners Inc., JP-Tokio
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 150
PATH RESIDENCE
IN TOKYO
If the architect gives a residential building a distinctive
name, it can be assumed that this name has become
synonymous with the building’s design concept. Accor-
dingly, this single-family house in Tokyo clearly gives
the impression of a winding path meandering across a
mountain. An original and extravagant implementa-
tion – in keeping with the motto "of the beaten path".
W ith over 900,000 inhabitants, Setagaya is one of the most den-
sely populated districts of the Japanese capital. A look out into
nature, let alone into one's own garden, thus becomes an almost una-
chievable luxury. As is well known, necessity is the mother of inven-
tion, and so Kotaro Ide from ARTechnic architects has designed an im-
pressive solution to make it possible for a family of five to live in a
house surrounded by greenery. On the almost 300-square metre site,
the building meanders in an exciting U-shape across three floors –
more precisely across six staggered levels – around vegetation that is
oriented towards the inner courtyard. The stairs are the main element
of this design concept. Whether small and narrow, plateau-shaped
and expansive or as a unique, exciting piece of furniture, the steps set
the pace and determine the interior design. Plant beds, ingeniously
arranged on window projections, line the way up from the entrance
to the walk-on roof terrace, so that you feel connected to nature every
step of the way. It was Kotaro Ide's intention to create an abstract na-
tural landscape – inspired by the Izu Peninsula located to the south-
west of Tokyo, which, with its columnar, towering rock formations,
has always fascinated the architect since his childhood. On this basis,
the building volume closed on three sides has literally grown – initi-
ally as a model using a 3D programme and then worked out in detail
and made consistent with the room schedule. It therefore comes as
no surprise that there are hardly any right angles to be found in the
entire building and that the reinforcement and all the furniture had to
be elaborately adapted and fitted. It is precisely this design that adds
an extra touch of mysticism and enchantment to the extravagant mas-
sif of the building. Contrary to supposed assumptions that the domi-
nant grey surfaces consisted exclusively of fair-faced concrete, mortar,
plaster and stucco were used both inside and outside the building. In
this way, the weight of the immense volume could be significantly re-
duced. Kotaro Ide thus proves his skill in creating and implementing
a true dream image on several levels.
AIT 7/8.2019 • 099