House in Kohama / Shimpei Oda Architect's Office + Loowe Inc.

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Each floor is planned to have functions necessary for daily life such as a storage room, kitchen, carpet, bedroom, and stairs, arranged around the multi-leveled concrete floor so that furniture can be placed. The space on each floor is gently partitioned by the openings in the concrete floors; and is lit and ventilated from different directions by the existing irregular window openings on each wall. The three-dimensional concrete floor acts as a device for natural lighting and ventilation.The residents wanted to lead a simple life, with few possessions, surrounded by their favorite furniture. I wondered how diversity could be added to this monotonous space to create a simple but rich space. With a focus on the outdoor spaces, the balconies on the second and third floors were connected to the concrete floor on the first floor by a staircase, creating a spatial composition in which the concrete floor becomes three-dimensional.Text description provided by the architects.This is a renovation of a three-story steel-framed house. At the time of our first visit to the property, the interior had already been dismantled, revealing Etruscan reddish columns, beams, and deck plates. The building consisted of an open plan with a balcony on every floor. Each floor had windows in different positions and sizes; making it possible to imagine the small rooms each floor was once separated into. The light coming in from the various openings made the space very attractive in its unintentional style.