aida atelier + kuno lab: portico

'portico' by aida atelier, tokyo, japan
photography by tatsuya noaki



japanese practice aida atelier has completed 'portico' a single-family residential situated in a suburb of tokyo, japan.
the site is adjacent to six different properties which are built very close to the boundary lines leaving the positioning of the project with a condition
that limits the amount of street frontage onto the river.

in order to create an architectural language that expresses an undulating sense of peripheral density, the team set rules for the exterior spaces.
the first was to not confine the building from its surroundings and to create an environment with diverse adjacent scopes to allow
for a transition room that circulates the air, is exposed to natural light and is spatially open. the second was to avoid the creation of a cul-de-sac and
have an outdoor area free from stagnation. where the interior is not residual but an active part of the house that simultaneously exists as an integral
section to the neighborhood. and thirdly, to conceive the outer shell as a volume and not a plane. re-conceiving this area left a zone
on the upper floor with a conceptual 'garden', that materializes another invisible chamber within the property.



view from south-east



portico



entrance and patio



approach at night



portico, patio  and entrance at night



foyer



bedroom catching sunlight from the west



living and dining room with 3.3m high ceilings



living and dining room



bedroom with a blue painted wall that reflects the northern light





project info:

name: portico
program: single family residence
location: tokyo, japan
design architect: tomoro aida + toshimitsu kuno + shinpei uehara (aida atelier, inc. + kuno lab. / nagoya city univ. graduate school of design and architecture)
executive architect: tomoro aida + toshimitsu kuno + shinpei uehara + tomoki nagase
structural engineer: takeyuki gaino (g.design)
construction: home builder, inc.
design: 09/2009 - 09/2010 (12 months)
construction: 09/2010 - 03/2011 (6 months)
structure: wooden frame
site area: 179.07m2
floors: two levels
floor area: 1st floor 56.39m2 / 2nd floor 78.66m2 / total 135.05m2
height: 7 116mm
photography: tatsuya noaki