white metal sheets coat tiny Toneyama House’s facade
Takuya Takemoto Architects builds Toneyama House, a residence situated in Toyonaka City of Osaka Prefecture, Japan, showcasing innovative spatial design. The skip-floor structure covers a small lot of 76.72 sqm with a distinctive west-side access road. Facing constraints like a limited frontage, a long and narrow site shape from east to west, and a height difference from the neighboring land on the east side, the design embraces these challenges crafting a residence that defies the ordinary. Due to the restrictions imposed by the diagonal line on the north side, the ceiling height of the second floor cannot be sufficiently secured by standard design.
Takuya Takemoto Architects sets up a skip-floor layout
The Toneyama House unfolds across fourteen interconnected spaces, cleverly linked by nine layers of skipped floors. This compact residence deviates from conventional layouts with stairwells and corridors, utilizing hanging floor and ceiling planes to liberate the building from height limitations. The design features several innovative elements, from the striking 2.13-meter cantilevered garage to the 3.64-meter column-free space with climbing beams. Vertical windows facing the stairwell and high sidelights cutting through the sky on the east facade add further layers of complexity and variety to the space. Takuya Takemoto Architects engages in an architecture that balances innovation and minimal design while maintaining a sense of everyday elegance.
Toneyama House pops up on a street in Toyonaka City
Architecture studio The DHaus Company has completed The Arches, a row of six brick-clad townhouses in a north London conservation area.
Replacing a derelict petrol station, the terrace is named after the monumental arches that form the facades of each partially sunken, three-level home.
The Arches are townhouses partially sunken underground. Photo is by AVR London
The DHaus Company designed the row to echo its surroundings, which include Georgian-era housing named Grove Terrace and a row of Victorian railway arches.
The arch is a recurring motif, so the studio decided to create a contemporary interpretation.
The facade is formed of a series of arches. Photo is by Richard Chivers
“We undertook a study of local buildings in and around the local area,” explained architects David Ben-Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson, the founders of The DHaus Company.
“These buildings highlighted a strong mixture of rectangles and arches set within a brick canvas,” they said.
The site is a highly prominent location within the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area, so the design process involved lengthy consultation.
The height matches a petrol station previously on the site. Photo is by AVR London
As Ben-Grunberg grew up in the area, and Woolfson had lived nearby, the pair were able to use their instincts to come up with a design that felt appropriate for the setting.
A key aspect was the decision to partially sink the buildings below ground, so the roof is no higher than the petrol station that occupied the site previously.
Scallop-patterned window screens reference the arch motif. Photo is by AVR London
Another idea was to reinstate green spaces along the street both in front and behind the terrace.
“Our initial design idea was inspired by the historic green lung of open green spaces along the Highgate Road,” said the duo.
“This meant reinstating the green lung as close to how it was back in 1873 – a futuristic Victorian throwback.”
Pivoting glass doors are set within one row of arches. Photo is by Richard Chivers
The view seen by most passersby is of the west-facing facade. Here, two rows of arches provide balconies for the two upper levels, while a glass-fronted basement opens out to a sunken patio.
“Because of the stepped nature of the site, this lower level does not feel like a basement,” said Ben-Grunberg and Woolfson.
“The living spaces enjoy a secluded feel with plenty of access to natural light despite sitting close to the main road.”
Entrances are located on the east-facing side, which has more of a quiet, residential feel.
Here, a single row of arches incorporates screens with a matching scallop pattern, while a second sunken patio helps to bring more natural light down to the floor below.
Each home contains three bedrooms. Photo is by AVR London
Inside, each 130-square-metre home has a layout that places a lounge, dining area and kitchen on the lowest level, and three bedrooms and a study across the upstairs floors.
Concrete retaining walls are an essential part of the build, but other parts of the structure are constructed from prefabricated timber components.
A study could serve as a fourth bedroom. Photo is by Richard Chivers
The arches are also concrete, clad with red-brick slips that match the tone of the adjacent brickwork.
“We explored brick bonding patterns to differentiate the different areas of the building and give order to each facade,” said Ben-Grunberg and Woolfson.
The homes are topped by green roofs and photovoltaic solar panels.
Kitchen and living spaces open out to a sunken patio. Photo is by Richard Chivers
The DHaus Company is best known for its experimental approach to residential design, on projects like its shape-shifting house concept and the playful Columbia Road extension.
More recently, the studio completed an overhaul of The Bull and Last, a pub located very close to The Arches, with the addition of two Japanese-inspired duplex flats.
The arches are pre-cast concrete and clad with brick slips. Photo is by Richard Chivers
The completion of this project marks the end of a five-year project, delayed by both the planning process and Covid-19 pandemic. Visualisations were first published on Dezeen in 2019.
“Over the last five years, this project has been such a big part of our lives,” concluded the studio.
Project credits
Architect: DHaus Client: Design Ventures/EFKERIA Structural engineer: AMA Planning department: Camden Planning consultant: The Heritage Practise Glazing contractor: Vitrocsa by Brava Windows Brickwork: Ibstock
