Toga House / Takeru Shoji Architects

In this suburb, we designed a house for a couple and their children, which retains the characteristics of the site, extreme sparseness, and sharp elevation adjustments. The site is 400 square metres, but the surrounding open grassland is several times larger, and there are no future plans to build on this land. In this context, how can the vast grasslands be connected and integrated into the daily lives of residents, while also giving the home a sense of security?

We began the design process by trying to connect these two contrasting elements and using the sand dunes to create a ‘possible way of building’. We built this space using primitive construction technology. Dig, stack and anchor poles in the sand to build a canopy for shading from the sun.

Digging into the sand, we located the building within these shallow excavations. Excavated sand was used to fill in the surrounding area and create a gentle boundary between the house and the wide open pasture. This gives all rooms on the first floor a higher degree of privacy and creates a distance between the interior and the surrounding environment. Although the LDK is located on the second floor, since the building is located inside the ground rather than above it, the height of the second floor is lower than usual and slightly higher than the ground. From here, we can pick up a line of sight that includes the surrounding grasslands, slightly distant hills, and city streets

In the center of the LDK, a single wooden column with a diameter of 360 mm penetrates the second floor from the first floor and supports the roof and staircase. The stairs are made entirely of wood, the tread, the center post, and even the hardware inserts used to install each tread; Create a powerful and majestic interior element.

Likewise, the inclined wooden supports between the central column and the roof corner, make it possible to create a large column-free opening in the building. Sliding doors in this opening allow the LDK to expand onto the terrace facing the expansive grassland and help create a continuous space that flows outward from the LDK into the open field.

Typically the first floor is built above the site and the second floor is set back from the ground, this design method allows the building to relate to its surroundings, as both the 1F and 2F floors scale differently and maintain a comfortable distance between outside and inside.

The person standing in the house feels as if his feet have been dug deep into the ground, embodying the feeling of security one might have in a cave, and his line of sight brings him closer to the surrounding grasslands; This gives a comfortable image of living within the grasslands and creates a deeper connection between the inhabitants and this vast open land than could be achieved if they lived above this land.