House with a Road Around

House with a wrap-around road.

The land in a suburb of Chiba city is large enough for a house, approx. 500 sqm, but frontal road which is narrowing further down the road is only wide just enough for a car which does not allow a car to make a U-turn. In an area where cars are the main means of transportation, this was inconvenient.

The layout plan started with a wrap-around road which allows easy turn around for cars, making the most of large land.

The client runs several companies, enjoys music and cars, and have worked as a designer at a fashion brand. His spouse has worked in nursing care industry and wanted a life with green. There were many qualities desired for the new house deriving from past and current profession and hobbies, and the layout plan was to satisfy and respond comprehensively their wish list.

On the first floor has a wide entrance with a meeting space in the south and a living room with patio doors in the north. This layout of wrap-around road was to satisfy the requests such as, business affairs to be dealt at the entrance and short traffic line for elderly parents to come inside. Both entrances have eaves to avoid rain.

On the second floor is a master bedroom for client couple, bedrooms for children and double ceiling in the middle to feel a presence of first floor.

The road is 60 m long, 5 m width with round corners, and paved with crushed stones for the time being. It may be paved with different paving material and edge stones, and planted with various trees and floors, serving as a field to be designed by the client over time.

Between the frontal road and the house is a barren garden. Sunny lot is facing east and adjacent houses in front. Thus the house façade is curved from both ends to form a peak to avoid direct contact from adjacent houses while securing enough space in the living/ dining and guest living room. The garden will be divided from the peak of curved wall by the south and north zone; south zone facing the living/ dining room will be covered by lawn, north zone to be garage.

Exterior wall is a combination of straight and curved line, giving façade different impressions as you go around the road in all four directions. To give constant and stable impression, the building is made of reinforced concrete with no joints on the white paint and black sash wall.

After the completion, the client set to work on the road and garden. The project will soon transform to be a green and bustling place.

– Akio Nakasa –