"The primary ceiling height is determined by the varying elevation of the site, which slopes down toward the south. On the exterior the house looks very simple, with only one and a half floors, but a complex spatial composition is developed through five interior levels connected by stairs. Thin concrete plates are used for the walls and the roof vault to enclose the interior space, while large windows in the living room establish continuity with the outside. On the south side, however, the view is obscured from eye level downward to maintain the sense of stability in the living room. The vaulted bedroom and study are structurally united in one continuous whole, which, at the south elevation, ends in a perfect semicircular surface: another element designed to emphasize the sense of interior enclosure.

—Arata Isozaki. Arata Isozaki: Architecture 1960-1990. p118.

Details

Design team: Hiroshi Nishioka, Masanobu YuzawaConsultants: Kimura Structural Engineers (structural); Nippon Kankyo Giken Co., Ltd. (mechanical)Contractor: Kojima-gumi Ltd.