Yo Yamagata Architects

Floating Patio

The site is located in a newly developed subdivision on the outskirts of Kisarazu. The site is a series of plots of about 70 tsubos in size, developed in the shape of a hina-dan on a gently sloping southern slope. The ground level of the two parcels is about 80 cm different from each other, and we wondered if we could make use of this subtle difference in elevation, which is often seen in this residential area. The owners are a family of three, a working couple and a girl in high school, who are often away from home, so they requested a high level of security, privacy, and a low-maintenance garden. The building was designed in an orthodox layout, with rooms arranged in an east-west direction on the north side of the plot, and all rooms facing south. The south plot has a square plan of 12m on each side, and is surrounded by a 2.7m-high wall. Rather than saying that the exterior space is enclosed by walls, it might be better to say that the exterior space is created by drilling holes in the roof and floor of a box that has a floor, walls, and roof. The box in that garden is floated at a subtle height of 80 cm, the difference in the level of the landscaping. A round hole with a diameter of 6 meters was drilled in the slab, through which the greenery of the raised hill protrudes from the ground, making the viewer aware that this garden is floating in the air. The theme of the project was to create a garden with this unique spatiality, and the building and approach were planned around this floating patio, the "Floating Patio“.

　The approach sequence begins with a gate in a freestanding wall along the road on the east side. Through an opening in front of the gate, a part of the Tsukuyama hill forms a backdrop to the sculpture created by Hidemiki Kobayashi, a metal forging artist, for this site. Climbing up the ramp along the freestanding wall, the entrance porch is located under the volume of the second floor that overhangs the top. As one enters the front porch, the sculpture mentioned earlier is reflected in the water through the water table in front of the porch.

　The first and second floors are connected by a wooden staircase that divides the living room and dining area, and an external staircase that connects the courtyard to the second floor terrace, creating a circular flow. The three gardens are the front garden at the southeast corner of the site, which is open to the town, the raised courtyard at the center of the building, and the tsuboniwa (small garden) at the far end of the building. The two lights are the light coming through slit-like holes, which we call slots, one at the top of the internal staircase and the other in the glass-floored corridor area. The light is cast into the back of the first floor. We hoped that these three gardens and two lights would create various scenes as we move about in our daily lives, creating a richer spatiality in this residence.