Designed by Takeshi Hosaka and located in Yokohama, Japan, this one of a kind modern mansion is all about natural lighting. Though surrounded by tall buildings, this construction provides its inhabitants with a warm, comforting interior by allowing daylight to gently comprehend its contemporary styled interior.
The light coming from 29 glass skylights installed in the flat roof is filtered and diffused through the curved acrylic ceiling vaults. The entire curved acrylic ceiling is uniformly lit with white light by selecting the distance between the skylights and the ceiling, their size, the color of the acrylic and the color of the interior panels after studying models to achieve the desired effect. However, it was not only the ceiling that helped achieving this beautiful interior. It is also about the colors that the architect has chosen for this one of a kind modern mansion: all the walls and the floors have been decorated with light shades of gray and brown. The windowless timber walls (approximately half the height of the ceiling) divide the space into four bedrooms, a study and an open plan living-room. The presence of a roof higher than the walls is felt in every room and leads to a unique sensation of freedom.
The embed depositing areas are the perfect solution for a relatively small house. The few plants scattered across the rooms fulfill the need for vegetation and bring a cheerful note to the atmosphere. The modern mansion has been fitted with a system that allows hot air to be stored in the ceiling so that it may be used for colder days and in the hot season, the hatches can be opened to permit the natural ventilation of the rooms. Throughout the day, the light quality changes and the occupants are in contact with the movement of the sun from day to dusk, all seasons around.
Homesthetics conclusion:
The most amazing thing about this one of a kind modern mansion is the way the architects have designed to fit perfectly between tall buildings, it being rather small in height compared to the encircling neighborhood. The sensation you get inside is not at all claustrophobic but the opposite, freedom, due to the amazing roof. This house sets out to be a perfect example of how architects should always accentuate the study of the site and make sure that their object fits perfectly and has a strong relationship with the existing architecture.
Photography is by Koji Fujii / Nacasa & Partners Inc.
Structure: Hiroshi Ohno Ohno JAPAN
Site: 114.92 m2 Building area: 73.60 m2
Building height: 5388 mm
No. of floors: 2F
Building function: house
Design: February 2010 – April 2011
Planning start: February 2010
Beginning of construction: September 2010
Completion: March 2011
Awards: Excellence Award architecture competition, Kanagawa, AR House Award 2011 Runner’s up
