#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
alphaville slots kyoto town house into a narrow residential plot in japan
japanese architecture practice alphaville has completed a narrow suburban dwelling, the second iteration of its ‘kyoto town house’ series.
located on small plot, where every centimeter of space is valuable, the design team chose to integrate the building’s timber structure with internal partitions. the stairs that connect the home form part of a load-bearing wall, while bespoke bracing serves as columns — supporting beams at the end of each floor slab. constructed by local carpenters, this method is particularly meaningful as most small-scale houses in japan use prefabricated timber components. in this way, the architects merge traditional values of craftsmanship with the contemporary advantages of industrial technology.
programmatically, the project seeks to integrate public and private space within the home. although traditional dwellings located on long, narrow plots, provide a sufficient degree of privacy, they can often feel isolated and disconnected. ‘one way to solve this issue is to preserve the maximum transparency of the interior space and structure by connecting the public area in the front with the private courtyard in the back,’ explain the architects. instead of covering the entirety of each storey, partial floor slabs allow sightlines between each level. a garage and other utilities can be found at ground level, with primary living accommodation spread across intermediate storeys. the home’s sleeping quarters are located at the uppermost floors.
