Located in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, “The House in Sakuradai” belongs to three households. Before the house was built, a one-storied house, which eventually became two stories, had been lived in by two generations for decades. As time passed, the composition of the residents changed, and a single family remained. The structure of the house that linked the first and second floor by a staircase did not function well after the changes of lifestyle, and the gap between what was required and what existed widened. In addition to the modification of family structure, the local societies in Japan are facing rapid change because of an aging population and low birthrate, and the effect plainly appears in the increasing ratio of vacant houses. Today, the previous form of housing no longer maintains people’s standard of living, and it is has become necessary to rethink flexibility in living environments. The structure of both families and local societies will change inevitably. The major goal with this project is to prepare the ever-renewing living environment which enables inhabitants to create the place of living freely, and thus preventing an altered structure and estranged lifestyle. Contributing to the house’s originality is that its residents ...
Located in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, “The House in Sakuradai” belongs to three households. Before the house was built, a one-storied house, which eventually became two stories, had been lived in by two generations for decades. As time passed, the composition of the residents changed, and a single family remained. The structure of the house that linked the first and second floor by a staircase did not function well after the changes of lifestyle, and the gap between what was required and what existed widened. In addition to the modification of family structure, the local societies in Japan are facing rapid change because of an aging population and low birthrate, and the effect plainly appears in the increasing ratio of vacant houses. Today, the previous form of housing no longer maintains people’s standard of living, and it is has become necessary to rethink flexibility in living environments. The structure of both families and local societies will change inevitably. The major goal with this project is to prepare the ever-renewing living environment which enables inhabitants to create the place of living freely, and thus preventing an altered structure and estranged lifestyle. Contributing to the house’s originality is that its residents ...