House within a house

In this small house called “Setagaya-S” in Tokyo, architect Rico Turu draws a nice distinction between the common area (living/dining room, kitchen and bathroom) and the bedroom for the client couple who have a child.

Photos © SATOSHI ASAKAWA
 

Although from the outside it is just ‘one’ house with a gable roof, the top floor in the cross section of this house looks like a tiny house sitting on top of a small two-story building.

If you look at the north and south elevation plans, each plan shows a wide opening on the roof running almost from the front to the back of the house. These openings on the roof give plenty of natural light and an open atmosphere to the common area while the house-shaped bedroom stays enclosed within four walls and a gable ceiling.

Images courtesy of rico turu architects studio.
 

This house is built on a gentle slope, and its main entrance is on the basement level which is mostly exposed on the west facade. The east side of the basement level which is deepest in the ground is a few feet above ground.

Now let’s move up to the first floor (which is more like the second floor of this house).

…to the second (top) floor.

There are two small terraces. The terrace on the first floor opens from the living/dining room. The bathroom on the second floor opens onto the smaller terrace.

The “tiny house” a.k.a. master bedroom.

^Who: rico turu architects studio  
^What: Single family residence (2 adults + a child)  
^Where: Setagaya, Tokyo  
^When: 2008 (completion)  
^How: Two stories w/basement, steel frame construction  
^{Site Area:} 782 square feet (72.65m²)  
^{Construction Area:} 466 square feet (43.29m²)  
^{Total Floor Area:} 1064 square feet (98.81m²)  
^{Photographer:} Satoshi Asakawa  
^Website: www.ricot.com  
^Tag(s): Female architect, Rico Turu

Photos © SATOSHI ASAKAWA