Kodikodi Architecture - Sandwich house, Tokyo 2009 (click images for big). A family house in a dense urban setting that aims to recreate rural living. The design is based off of an image of the client’s childhood home on the country side, which featured a typical plot of a yard situated between the main house and a rear shed. Two large walls brace the structure on either side and offer privacy from the neighboring buildings. Internally, a small wooden house-within-a-house, programmed as a living area, is suspended in between the walls and acts as the “shed.” A stair connects it to a larger concrete volume containing the sleeping areas, representing the “main house.” The interstitial area in between the two volumes becomes the “yard,” and is a double height space flooded with natural light. Openings on the two adjacent volumes allow for communication between all areas of the house. This clever appropriation of rural characteristics offers the client a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, while simultaneously creating a contemporary space for urban living. Via.
