The ground floor is hidden from the exterior views because its position in the place. This totally open space, where the limits between inside and outside almost dissapear, is thought to allow lots of different activities;living room for having a party with friends, a space where he can fix bicycles and make music, etc. The ground floor also have a kitchen and toilet.
The first floor, more visible, is a closed volume with the private spaces like the bedroom or the bathroom. The openings on this floor allow the natural ventilation, while the 1.2m width balcony protects the groundfloor from the overheat during the summer.
The location in the hill, did not allow the use of heavy machinery, and at the same time, the architects had to assume economic restrictions. For the steel frame, 100 mm by 100 mm H-section steel was selected and each construction material was limited to weigh about 100 kg for carrying up to the site. Steel plate of 4.5 mm thick was laid for the cantilever balcony all around to make up for the loss of level structural plane caused by a large cutout of the second floor for stairway.
CREDITS
Project by.- Tato architects.
Principal designer.- Yo shimada.
Project name.- House in Rokko.
Location of site.- Kobe, Japan.
Site area.- 295.31m2.
Building area.- 56.00m2.
Total floor area.- 94.50m2.
Type of Construction.- Steel.
Program.- House & atelier.
Design period.- Jan. 2010 - Mar. 2011.
Construction period.- Aug. 2011 - Nov. 2011.
