Project: Home for Family
Architects: Koki Sugawara Architects
Location: Japan
Area: 904 sf
Year: 2022
Photographs by: Hirota Tatsuya
The “Home for Family” project by Koki Sugawara Architects in Japan showcases a thoughtful renovation plan for a house inherited from the client’s parents. With a desire to adapt the space for their own family while potentially accommodating the parents in the future, the focus was on the second floor. The challenge of a large existing house was met by reevaluating the required volume, leading to the decision to keep the first floor simple and renovate the second floor.
To maximize natural light and air despite proximity to neighboring houses, a portion of the roof was replaced with glass, creating a semi-outdoor space resembling a “courtyard” or “veranda.” The use of various materials for flooring added texture and enhanced the experience of spatial changes. The result is a harmonious and flexible living environment that balances practicality and aesthetic appeal.
This project is a renovation plan for a house in the Kanto region that was inherited from the client’s parents. The client wanted to rearrange the space they once shared with their parents and make layout changes to accommodate living with their own children.
One major challenge of this project was that the existing house had two floors and a total floor area of about 178 square meters, which was a bit too large for a nuclear family. While the client desired a full renovation, the cost would increase significantly due to the large volume of the house.
Upon evaluating the required volume based on the family composition, it was determined that the first floor alone would provide sufficient space. Therefore, the first floor was kept as a simple and minimally renovated area, with the intention of the parents potentially using it in the future, while the second floor became the main focus of the renovation. For the second-floor plan, considerations were made not only in terms of the horizontal design but also in terms of the vertical section to ensure a heterogeneous space.
Due to the close proximity to neighboring houses, which is common in urban areas, there was a limitation in creating large openings and external spaces. To address this issue, a portion of the roof was changed to glass, and the use of sliding doors allowed for a semi-outdoor space that could be opened to the outside, creating a healthy floor resembling a “courtyard” or “veranda” where one can experience natural light and air.
In terms of finishes, special attention was given to the flooring to allow for a direct tactile understanding of the spatial changes. Different materials such as tiles, hardwood, sisal, and FRP were selected to emphasize variations in texture for each section of the space.
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