能動性を引き出す７つの「マド」というエレメント

都心からほど近い東京の密集地に建つ小さな住宅です。駅周辺には活気に満ちた５つの商店街、商店会が形成され、敷地はそこから僅かに離れつつも寄り添うように位置しています。店の音や賑わいが少し残るこの場所には、３階建ての家々が隙間なく建ち並ぶ町並みが築かれています。

その限られた敷地から生活の場を削り出していくと、周りと同様に３層のヴォリュームが自然と立ち上がってきます。ここで我々は二面接道の敷地を活かし、住宅にとって極めて重要な「窓」というエレメントの可能性を広げてみたいと考えました。

外壁に穿たれた開口としての窓を内外に少しずつ押し出して、奥行きを与えていきます。さらにスティールで組まれた建築の骨格に近づけるように窓を拡大し、そこに構造を付加していきます。すると窓は、機能を超え、建築の構成要素から場そのものへとやわらかくシフトしていきます。

さらに内部の生活と周辺環境を丁寧に読み込みながら、位置や大きさ、素材の異なる７つの「マド」を作っていきます。前面の通りに面した大きなマドは、腰掛けられる高さに設えられ、畳が敷かれています。夕方には買い物帰りで歩いてくる近所のおばあさんが見えたり、祭りの日には目の前を神輿が通っていくのが見えたりし、そこはあたかも町に迫り出した桟敷席のような場所です。他にも上下階を繋ぐ吹き抜けのマドや、遠くの町並みが見渡せる寝床としてのマド、ハイカウンターとして使われる家具のようなマドや、腰かけて本を読みたくなる静かなマドなど、一つの家の中に高さ、硬さ、大きさの異なる様々な場が生まれ、それらが建築全体に働きかけていきます。さらに構造材や下地材として使われる粗野で堅さのある素材を丁寧に織り込んでいくことで、場所を自由に選び取れる刺激のある空間を目指しました。

こうして建築における一つのエレメントの変形が、場所の発見を促し、生活する家族の能動性を引き出していきます。それが住まいにおける楽しさと豊かさに繋がっていくことを期待しています。

Seven “Windows” as Elements That Encourage Active Engagement

This small house stands in a dense residential neighborhood in Tokyo, not far from the city center. Around the nearby station, five lively shopping streets and neighborhood commercial associations form a vibrant urban setting, and although the site is set slightly apart from them, it remains gently connected to their presence. In this place, where traces of the sounds and bustle of the shops still linger, tightly packed three-story houses line the streets without gaps.

As we carved out a place for living within this limited site, a three-story volume naturally emerged, much like the surrounding houses. Here, taking advantage of the site’s access from two streets, we sought to expand the possibilities of the “window,” an element of fundamental importance in residential architecture.

We gradually pushed the windows—openings carved into the exterior walls—both inward and outward, giving them depth. We then enlarged them so that they approached the steel structural frame of the building, and incorporated structure into them. In doing so, the window gently shifted beyond its conventional function, transforming from a compositional architectural element into a place in itself.

Carefully considering both the life unfolding inside and the surrounding environment, we created seven distinct “windows,” each different in position, size, and material. The large window facing the street is set at a height suitable for sitting and is finished with tatami. In the evening, one can see elderly neighbors returning from shopping, and on festival days, a mikoshi passes directly in front of it. It becomes a place much like a viewing stand projecting out into the life of the town.

Other windows include an opening that forms a void connecting the upper and lower floors, a window that serves as a sleeping nook overlooking the distant townscape, a furniture-like window used as a high counter, and a quiet window that invites one to sit and read. In this way, a variety of places with different heights, degrees of hardness, and scales are generated within a single house, and together they begin to act upon the architecture as a whole.

By carefully weaving in rough, solid materials typically used as structural or substrate elements, we aimed to create a stimulating environment in which residents could freely choose their place within the house.

In this way, the transformation of a single architectural element gives rise to the discovery of place and encourages the active engagement of the family living there. We hope that this, in turn, will lead to a richer and more enjoyable life at home.