TONOMA’S T HOUSE PROPOSES A NEW TYPE OF URBAN DWELLING

The Japanese architects rethink the single-family home for high-density living

The single family home is a modern architectural quandary – particularly in countries like Japan where land is a finite resource. It raises a whole host of ecological and sociological questions. Many modern projects simply reduce the overall footprint, but Japanese firm Tonoma chose a different solution.

The T House is built on an elevated one-storey platform that brings the entire structure, including the garden, up one floor. The home is divided into various sections, all of which open around a central courtyard that is landscaped with potted plants and trees. Underneath, the structure is supported by evenly spaced posts that leave room for covered vehicle storage.

What makes the home different from traditional vertical construction is the open layout that revolves around a central “garden”. As such, the elevated structure combines the privacy and comfort of a single-family home with the reduced footprint of an apartment, all while incorporating solutions for other urban planning dilemmas such as parking and landscaping.

The firm’s exploration of the modern single-family home in relation to its environment recently won them an Environmental Design Award 2015 in a competition sponsored by Tokyo Gas.