Unique Homes in Japan: 3.4 Meter-Wide [Bracket] House

In this installment of the unique homes in Japan series, we take a look at a house with a width of just 3.4 meters (about 11 feet) that was squeezed between two existing properties in a dense neighborhood in Osaka.

The architect, Yoshihiro Yamamoto, named the project “Kakko no Ie” or [Bracket] House, perhaps in reference to the fact that the neighbouring houses are like parentheses around the super slim residence.

The house sits on a lot of just 35 square meters (377 square feet), with a frontage of 3.4 meters and a depth of 13 meters (about 42.7 feet) and was built for a couple with a young daughter.

Narrow houses are not per se unusual in Japan’s dense urban centers, but the architect nevertheless used some ingenious elements and techniques to make full use of the available space.

The house is framed in exposed structural steel, which allows precious centimeters to be reduced from the thickness of the walls.

The structure itself is a split floor plan with six levels. A staircase in the center of the house makes hallways less necessary, which also increases the amount of living space.

The staircase is built from steel with perforated treads to allow light through.

As with many narrow houses, the Bracket House has a double-height living space and large windows to maximize sunlight.

A combined living and dining room with a kitchen at the rear is located on the first floor. The high ceilings in living/dining room allow for a large window, facing down to the street.

Three sets of curtains allow for different levels of transparency in the large front window.

The basement level contains a bedroom. The ground level is a covered garage, which extends back to the center of the lot and has enough space for one of the owners to work on his motorcycle. The entrance leads directly to the staircase. At the back of the ground level is another bedroom.

As mentioned above, the double-height first floor contains the living space.

The third level is for the little girl. The fourth level contains living space. The fifth level is a bathroom and the sixth level is a roof terrace.

“In this house,” writes the architect, “they are living like birds swinging from branch to branch.”

You may also be interested in: “Width of House is Length of Small Car“, “Parking at a Polyhedron House” and “Transparent Vertical Garden House in Tokyo“