This two floor wooden house sits in a quiet residential area in the city centre of Tokyo. In a dense residential area, it is usually challenging to get an adequate amount of light on to the ground floor. Surrounding this site, there was a low-rise apartment building, and a house of the same height. Architects CASE-REAL proposed to set up a terrace on the second floor and gently divide it with angled louvers to create an intermediate space that allows light and wind to pass through while shielding the view from the neighbouring land.

Instead of installing unnecessary lighting fixtures on the ceiling, indirect lighting along the angled ceiling was used to control the ambience on the second floor. This allowed the low ceilings to create a sense of openness and serenity, while providing a stable air environment throughout the seasons. In addition, the V-shaped metal plates for lighting extend over the entire second floor, giving a sense of depth to the space.

The majority of the exterior, such as the terrace louvers and garage shutters, were finished with hot-dip galvanised steel. The exterior walls are panelled with plates of the same finish, giving the building a solid appearance despite its wooden nature. The exterior wall reflects the surrounding greenery, but at the night it gives a different expression.

We aimed to create architecture that allows you to enjoy the changes in texture and the aging of materials gradually over time.