Keisuke Maeda / UID

This is a house for a family of four in a suburban residential area developed in a hilly area. The surrounding environment is a uniform landscape of houses built parallel to a plot with a certain aspect ratio characteristic of subdivisions. The site sits along the road on the north side, and the east and west sides are situated along a slope with a slight difference in elevation from the neighboring lots. The site is also characterized by a tiered topography created by a large difference in elevation to the south.
Considering that the lot below the southwest side of the site is vacant, the entire volume is configured at a 45-degree angle to the site to create an expansive environment with desirable views, ventilation, natural light, and privacy.
Specifically, an octagonal spider-web-shaped structure is covered extending down from the top section to the supporting legs to create a centripetal single-room space. The legs are supported at four points, and the inside and outside are connected via triangular openings joining the vertices between the fulcrums. Inside the 77 square meters of open space, four boxes, which are not rooms, are arranged to create a corridor-like area that functions as the family room and living space. In other words, there are no enclosed individual spaces here, but family members may freely engage in their favorite activities in an open space/corridor.
The space might be in a neat and tidy state or in complete disarray. Since no structure defines a given area as a room, the areas and patterns within the space will likely change over time as the children grow and with other changes in family life.
It is a house with strong architectural feacures that embrace changes in the daily life of a family with a unique lifestyle.
Keisuke Maeda

principal use: house
structure: timber structure
site area: 240.22sqm
total floor area: 77.07sqm
building site: Fukuyama, Hiroshima
completion date: 2020