House in Takadanobaba
© AtoZ
Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrandProduct Name
ManufacturersVOLA
ManufacturersKaldewei
ManufacturersCeramica Catalano
Kitchen AppliancesSmeg
ManufacturersVitra.

Product Spec Sheet
Manufacturers
by VOLA
Manufacturers
Manufacturers
Kitchen Appliances
by Smeg
Manufacturers
by Vitra.

House in Takadanobaba

florian busch architects as Architects

“The inside is nothing but a fold of the outside.” – Michel Foucault Not atypical of central Tokyo, the site for this private residence is an urban gap left over from relentless subdivisioning, a 22m deep yet only 4.7m wide strip perched between built masses. When the brief asked for a wide open living space where breathing within the confines of the city was possible, we proposed an architecture of the exterior that claims the space around it by extending beyond its limits. The House in Takadanobaba is a departure from understanding housing as enclosing: The urban exterior continues in an open fold of fluidly interconnected spaces for living in the interior of the exterior.


Moving through the building reveals strikingly different atmospheres along the three levels’ alternating orientations. As there are no partitioned rooms, the sites’ unusual depth is felt and emphasised on each level. Soft fabrics countering the hardness of the concrete add layers of ambiguous spatial nuances.


Not only in the context of a culture so based on the transitoriness of nature, being able to live with the seasons in the middle of today’s Tokyo is true luxury. In redefining inside and outside, a field of folds might create pervious continuities in a city of gaps freeing us from the suffocating massiveness of our urban environments.

Featured Projects
Latest Products
News
Rocky Hill Memorial Museum by Crone finds meaning through form and materiality
23 Mar 2023 News
Rocky Hill Memorial Museum by Crone finds meaning through form and materiality

Completed in 1925 as a tribute to the men and women of Goulburn, Australia, who served during World... More

Moody and seductive Sushi Zen by LDH Design opens in Beijing
22 Mar 2023 News
Moody and seductive Sushi Zen by LDH Design opens in Beijing

At No. 33 Wusi Street in Beijing’s Dongcheng District, LDH Design has recently completed works... More

KMR rethinks wooden residential construction with metal sheet façade and plywood louvres in Japan
22 Mar 2023 News
KMR rethinks wooden residential construction with metal sheet façade and plywood louvres in Japan

Surrounded by rice paddy fields and rural scenery with farmhouses dispersed throughout the countrysi... More

Chaix & Morel transform a former fire station into a creative urban centre in Paris
22 Mar 2023 News
Chaix & Morel transform a former fire station into a creative urban centre in Paris

The adaptive reuse of existing buildings is of great importance in Paris, especially when it comes t... More

10 impactful residential dining tables
20 Mar 2023 News
10 impactful residential dining tables

Residential dining tables are designed to meet all sorts of aesthetic preferences and are sized to m... More

Working Waterfront by GreenSpur draws inspiration from the organized chaos of old wharf designs
21 Mar 2023 News
Working Waterfront by GreenSpur draws inspiration from the organized chaos of old wharf designs

The Working Waterfront by GreenSpur draws inspiration from the rich boat-building history of Camden,... More

Ambitious Nanhai Guicheng Jingui High School maintains and simple rhythmic architecture of order and poetry
20 Mar 2023 News
Ambitious Nanhai Guicheng Jingui High School maintains and simple rhythmic architecture of order and poetry

As part of a larger urban planning project to provide improved and increased infrastructure to the g... More

10 stunning washbasins redefining luxury and style in private houses
20 Mar 2023 News
10 stunning washbasins redefining luxury and style in private houses

Luxury and comfort are the two factors that homeowners aspire to incorporate into their bathroom des... More