Houzz Tour: A Contemporary City Home With a Clever Rooftop Terrace
After their children flew the nest, this couple rebuilt their house with a distinctive roof cutout to ensure both freedom and privacy
Just one block in from the tall apartment buildings that line Tokyo’s ring road, you’ll find a scenic zone specially designated by Setagaya Ward. Along the area’s central axis stands a line of low-level houses, including this one owned by a couple redesigning after their children left home. As they’re overlooked by the larger buildings in front, however, the new design had to provide privacy and seclusion while still allowing in as much sunshine as possible.
Luckily, through a friend, the owners met a pair of architects who created a house that fulfilled their wish. The house now has an idyllic terrace where the couple can enjoy the sunshine and eat meals outside in good weather without ever worrying about being overlooked.
Luckily, through a friend, the owners met a pair of architects who created a house that fulfilled their wish. The house now has an idyllic terrace where the couple can enjoy the sunshine and eat meals outside in good weather without ever worrying about being overlooked.
The first-floor terrace serves as an outdoor living and dining area. The roof is 60cm thick, made from wooden beams reinforced with steel.
“Here, I can sunbathe without hesitation,” the wife says of the first-floor terrace. The feature that succeeds in bringing the blue sky into the private space is the large triangular cutout window. The design places a large, boxlike level atop the first level – a box with the southwest corner cut off. All you can see from here is the sky, with the high-rises completely hidden from view.
The other special feature of this terrace is the 1.5m-wide FRP (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) grating that was used for the floor bordering the outer wall. The husband works for a large grating manufacturer, and made use of the grating in his own home. The grating is made from FRP resin, formed into a lattice shape. It’s lighter and more durable than steel, and allows air and light to pass through – a special selling point, since it lets sunlight fall onto the garden in front of the lower level.
Peeking out from the corner of the terrace is a long-stalk holly tree, which keeps its leaves year-round. When the breeze blows through the leaves, they make a soft rushing sound.
The other special feature of this terrace is the 1.5m-wide FRP (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) grating that was used for the floor bordering the outer wall. The husband works for a large grating manufacturer, and made use of the grating in his own home. The grating is made from FRP resin, formed into a lattice shape. It’s lighter and more durable than steel, and allows air and light to pass through – a special selling point, since it lets sunlight fall onto the garden in front of the lower level.
Peeking out from the corner of the terrace is a long-stalk holly tree, which keeps its leaves year-round. When the breeze blows through the leaves, they make a soft rushing sound.
The bath is located directly to the side of the terrace and the steel sash door fittings were ordered specially. The window is equipped with blinds, but most of the time, the bathers leave them partway open, in order to enjoy the view.
The hypotenuse of the triangular cutout is about 8m, while the adjacent side is about 6.4m, and the opposite site is about 5.5m. Different scenery appears in the view through the triangle, depending on where you stand.
The living room has a large modular sofa. To the left is a built-in storage shelf.
Sofa; coffee table, both Actus.
The living room has a large modular sofa. To the left is a built-in storage shelf.
Sofa; coffee table, both Actus.
There’s an uninterrupted view from the kitchen island all the way to the terrace. The white wall on the left side of the dining area faces south. The south side offers a less appealing view than the rich greenery of the west side, so the south window is intentionally long and narrow. The right wall contains a skylight to let in the sunshine.
Dining table and chairs, Actus.
Dining table and chairs, Actus.
A window above the kitchen cabinets lets more the light in, and the central panel can be opened as needed for air circulation.
Browse 10 contemporary-style kitchens on Houzz
Browse 10 contemporary-style kitchens on Houzz
A sliding living room door leads to a hallway and the staircase to the ground floor. The bathroom can be glimpsed in the centre of this photo.
The walls and floor of the bathroom are covered with mosaic tiles. The basin is a simple design, but extra large to prevent water from splashing out.
At the back of the first-floor terrace, there are two poles for hanging laundry to dry (shown in red). Although this spot is tucked away from the daily routine, it still gets plenty of sun.
Light pours through the window in the first-floor dining room, outlining the texture of the wall below. The wall is made of Jolypate, an acrylic material resistant to fading.
Each step in the staircase contains a front-opening storage drawer.
The owners also requested a large walk-in wardrobe, so an 11.7 sq m closet was designed into the space. It also acts as the entry into the bedroom in order to “set the bedroom deeper inside the house and preserve the calmness of the space”.
This bedroom belongs to the husband. At the back right is a dedicated study (next photo).
Explore 10 typical new-build challenges and how to overcome them
Explore 10 typical new-build challenges and how to overcome them
The study is 4.5 sq m. It may be small, but it’s a calm and quiet space. The window faces south, and overlooks the ruscus-leaved bamboo growing on the property.
The two bedrooms share the ground-floor terrace, which overlooks the green space on the west side. The built-in shelves on the terrace can be used as benches, or as a place to set planters.
This image shows a full view of the south side, which contains the main entrance. “I thought it would be interesting if the volume of the second level appeared to be hovering slightly above the ground,” Yamagata says. “Creating different spaces within a single home is my speciality,” he says, and notes that he would like to incorporate relaxing, roofed outdoor spaces for sunbathing and open-air dining into his future designs.
The outer wall of the second level is made of Galvalume steel spandrel. Spandrel is metal veneer formed to hide the screws that hold it in place, but not only does it hide the seams between plates, as a design feature, it breaks up the monotony of the walls, adding to the beauty of the building.
The outer wall of the second level is made of Galvalume steel spandrel. Spandrel is metal veneer formed to hide the screws that hold it in place, but not only does it hide the seams between plates, as a design feature, it breaks up the monotony of the walls, adding to the beauty of the building.
Nothing beats the luxury of sunbathing and outdoor dining without worrying about being watched by the neighbours.
The scenic location of the house ensures a livable environment, and not only does the triangular cutout offer a unique view from the inside, it also looks striking from the outside. If you visit after dark, you can see how the lights inside reflect on the white walls, and the whole building seems to float like a giant lantern on a pool of green.
What do you think of this cleverly designed home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
The scenic location of the house ensures a livable environment, and not only does the triangular cutout offer a unique view from the inside, it also looks striking from the outside. If you visit after dark, you can see how the lights inside reflect on the white walls, and the whole building seems to float like a giant lantern on a pool of green.
What do you think of this cleverly designed home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Who lives here A couple in their 50s
Property A newly rebuilt timber home
Size 211 sq m (2,272 sq ft)
Location Setagaya Ward, Tokyo
Architect Yo Yamagata Architects (designed in collaboration with Kazunobu Hamazaki of And Associates)
Structural design Sakane
Structural design builder Hatano
Date completed October 2014
Photos by Forward Stroke inc
The house these owners had inherited from one of their fathers was getting old, and the kids had left the nest, so the couple decided to build a new house where they could be alone together.
Referring to the theme of the design, Yoh Yamagata of Hiroshi Yamagata Architects says, “The idea was to create a contrast between the ground- and first-floor spaces.” He exchanged ideas with the builder, Kazunobu Hamazaki of And Associates.
Simply put, the ground floor has a feeling of being closed off from the world, while the first floor offers a sense of freedom and space. The ground floor is a half basement sunk about five feet into the ground to offer peace and quiet. The bedrooms and study are located here, in an arrangement that allows the owners to move easily from room to room.
In contrast, the first floor is a simple box, with the living room and bathroom facing out onto the terrace.
This image shows the view from the southwest side. In front is a green space, and a slope down to the windows of the master bedroom on the ground floor gives the owners a view of the greenery from inside. The low trees planted within the property line are common ruscus-leaved bamboo, which stays beautifully green all winter.