Suspensions of space

This project is renovation of a second-hand house that was made by the two by four method.
We designed only second floor in which young couple wanted to live with daughter. Their
original demand was living in large one-room without walls, but there was limit to remove
walls because of structural restriction of the two by four method. 2x4 houses have been
spread on account of speed and easiness of construction. However, it’s difficult to change
plan in terms of house renovation.
We made not only wall but also the ceiling of the design target, and aimed to make the space
that stiffened by the existing walls open. To be concrete, we remove the existing ceiling, and
we built new ceilings (form like broach roof) crossing above the five rooms, and made gaps
between walls and new ceilings. As a result, the connection between a room and a next room
was made above the space. We determined the height and an incline of ceilings, after
considering the diffusion of light and a scene to the next room.
We also made the opening on an inner wall, and installed there the long desk that pierces
through three rooms, a living room, a study room and a bedroom. We had a loose sense of
togetherness caused by long desk and kitchen counter crossed the border of each room. And,
the installation method of the desk is easy to change. Although a long and slender study
room is in the center of a house at present, when the type of usage changes, it functions also
as a passage.
The color of the room that was based on white change through a day because of reflection of
shiny painted ceiling. We can see rooms that are colored warm color or chill color at the
same time through the gap and the opening.
We tried to reconstruct space components, such as a wall and a ceiling. The gap and the
connection make boundary of rooms blurred. A sense of a territory that rises to the
surroundings of one is expanded and contracted on one’s consciousness. We call it
suspensions of space.

Architects: Hiroaki Takada + Masayuki Nakahata / htmn
Location of project: Nerima-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Client: private
Completion: 2010.8
Contractor: Minaduki Kousan Ltd.
Site area: 286.94 ?
Built area: 139.31 ?
Total floor area: 222.79 ?