SATOSHI OKADA
ARCHITECTS

The design was conceived of responding to the client request for creating floor areas available to the maximum under such restrictions as the footprint less than 40% of the site area, the building height less than 10m and the sun-shadow regulation to restrain the height as well.

Within these limitations, living space was maximized by employing steel construction to minimize the bulk of the structure itself. A pair of steel portal frames, inspired by torii - the sacred gate for Japanese shrines - bear the load of the entire structure, additional columns entirely ornamental. The ground floor is dedicated to a garage and a workshop, while the upper two floors serve as living spaces entirely glassed on both the north and south side, extending to terraces guide upwards to a larger roof-deck.

Adopting shipbuilding technology, prefabricated steel-paneled rooms were arranged and welded together on site, creating a water-proof membrane. To ensure thermal insulation for both the roof and the wall, the blocks were coated with polyurethane foam. The efficiency in insulation technology resulted in an additional 6 square meters of floor area in contrast to a reinforced concrete structure.