In Japan, drivers have to prove that they have access to off-street parking, so architects are often asked to incorporate a parking space into the design of private homes. Building lots also tend to be small and irregularly shaped, and height restriction codes can require walls to be built at sharp angles. The result is sometimes a stunning piece of architecture.
This is the case with the “Reflection of Mineral” house, a small residence located in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward.
The building site was a small, irregularly shaped piece of land, about 45 square meters (about 484 square feet), located on the corner of two narrow streets which intersect at an acute angle.
The owners of the land came to the architects at Atelier Tekuto with three requests:
- For their home to a highly stimulating piece of architecture
- To achieve maximum liveable living space
- To have a covered parking space for their car
Architects in Japan also have to work with strict height and slant restrictions when designing buildings. These regulations are meant to protect smaller buildings from being completely shadowed by taller neighboring buildings. This is why you see so many mid-sized buildings in urban areas that have sloping walls.
According to Atelier Tekuto, the zoning regulations required that the house had to comply to three different height restriction planes. “The complicated polyhedron volume was the result of maximizing the total buildable volume under these restriction plains [sic] intersecting at various angles.”
The end result resembles a piece of mineral jutting out of the ground, and the architect named it “Reflection of Mineral” house!
This house has received numerous architectural awards and the owners have a stunning house to live in, including a covered parking space as they had wanted.
Would you like to live in a house like this? Please leave a comment!
You may also be interested in: “Unique homes in Japan: Living “inside” a mountain in Kagawa Prefecture” and “Unique homes in Japan: Width of house is length of small car“
5 thoughts on "Unique Homes in Japan: Parking at a Polyhedron House"
I’d live there in a heartbeat!
Yes, I want to live in there. When I saw this some years back, I liked it. It was very nice. In fact, I wanted to copy it. The photos then were taken when the house was newly built. However, the photos above were perhaps taken some time after finishing it. I just noticed the rainwater “scars”. It makes the wonderful looking house look so dirty. The architect should anticipate the rainwater flow. They have to do something about it. A hidden gutter or something? Having said that, I still wanted to copy it and live in it.
I want to move back to Japan permanently and sell my business and house to do so. I lived there for three years and yes I completely understand what I would be doing. I just need my husband to agree and move with me. I guess we will see next month when we are back in Japan for a month on vacation!