building site: Nagoya city, Aichi, Japan
principal use: house with shop
structure: reinforced concrete structure, 3 stories
site area: 84,09m²
building area: 44.41m² (52,81% MAX60%)
total floor area: 103.60m² (123.20% MAX 200%)
(1F:38.80m², 2F:32.40m², 3F:32.40m²)
design: April 2006 - June 2007
construction: June 2007 - December 2008
design: SUPPOSE design office | Makoto Tanijiri

The Suppose Design Office created by the talented Makoto Tanijiri has completed many projects that follow free forms and clean cut lines expressing Japanese architecture. They are not new to Yatzer as this is their third published project in one month which clearly shows that this office coincides with Yatzer's aesthetics.

• Kitakamakura house

• Primitive Living in Saijo, Hiroshima

 
We are proud to introduce the Nagoya project which functions as a flower shop an art gallery and a private residence on the upper levels.
‘These three spaces which are normally separated break the unseen barriers and integrate with each other. Flowers displayed in the art gallery become art and art in the flower shop becomes closer to life. With the display space in the art gallery crossing an invisible border line, we even wanted to cross the borders that define the ‘home’

The exterior is a solid elongated box shell with glazing only apparent on the ground floor façade inviting people in and isolating the top levels. It is an open space which circulates around a pod that houses the sanitary and kitchenette utilities. Angles are a strong and dynamic element within the interior making them more aware by the cantilever shelving that is constructed on the angular projections. This element is even more apparent from the exterior side structure which has an accordion like form. 

‘On the north face of the property, an elementary school provides an unchanging environment for the future. In an effort to blend the first floor gallery and flower shop with the walkway leading to the school, we created an open space incorporating the walkways as part of the building’s exterior.’ There is also a separate detached structure which encompasses a Japanese tea room. Its interior is angular and dark which is controlled by the inlayed natural colored carpet inset within the floor. This space is pure, calm and hygienic allowing for natural daylight to enter the space from the rear and the front.

The second floor consists of the kitchen dining and living area. The interior is kept clean and simple. The finishes are controlled to a minimum using light wood, white/black metal and the sole fabric existing on the couch. The chairs have dynamic forms which have a playful quality to their structure and a controversy between the slim front support legs and the rear frame. ‘The second and third floors have been built to minimize the effects of noise from the walkway by building a spacious opening only on the north side.’

At the third level bedroom/bathroom all the sanitary ware is raw and apparent within a glazed cube. Plumbing, toilet, and washing machine everything is out in the open freeing all inhibitions and hesitations. There are no secrets no hidden compartments which make this space as real as you can get and you can imagine its residents to be people that are real to themselves and not focused on a hidden superficial lifestyle. The staircase is read as an artistic form which is loose, coherent and pure. The large circular cuttings on the floors/ceilings create a balance with the angular structure controlling the edge to the interiors.

"By opening the architecture to the surrounding environment,
we have created the opportunity to blend the ground to the building,
the building to the people and the people to other people"
SUPPOSE design office

At night we can imagine sitting on the rear terraces which take you to another interior from the street façade. It is almost like you are in another building all together. This project is the example of ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ there are surprise elements throughout.