House In Shirasagi / Buttondesign

Architects: Buttondesign
Area: 90 m²
Year: 2019
Photographs: Satoshi Asakawa
Manufacturers: BEAL
Lead Architects: Kohei Kikuta, Yuzuru Murakami
Contractors: Kichi&Associates, Yuta Yoshioka
Carpenter: Kichi&Associates, Satoshi Murakami
Structural Engineer: Kotaro Maruyama
City: Nakano City
Country: Japan

This residential building and small baked sweets store, designed by Buttondesign architects and located just beyond a shopping street in a serene neighborhood, presents an innovative concept by merging living space with a commercial venue. Facing a vast parking lot that offers a park-like openness, the design incorporates this expansive feeling into the home’s layout. The ground level includes a storefront that leads to a large, semi-buried earthen floor characterized by its tranquility and enclosed feel, contrasted with a large open window that integrates the outdoor greenery. Upstairs, the floor plan remains adaptable and discreet with minimal windows facing the parking area, emphasizing privacy and natural light from above. The architectural concept focuses on simplicity and openness, intending to gradually integrate more community-oriented functions such as cooking workshops.

This architectural plan introduces a house combined with a small baked sweets store, positioned in a peaceful residential area, following the commercial street near the station. Despite its flagpole lot configuration, the property’s elongated eastern side, adjacent to a large parking area, evokes an openness akin to a park setting. This openness provides residents with a temporary park-like environment, with the east side designed as a garden that mediates proximity to the urban context.

Visitors access the residence via a lengthy, wooded garden, entering through a small commercial facade. The entryway, shared with the store, effectively merges the boundary with the urban surroundings. A significant, partially subterranean earthen floor at the entrance conveys a calm and secluded atmosphere, surrounded by plaster walls.

A prominent window enhances the connection to the garden’s greenery, accentuating the subterranean aspect of the space and the elevation difference. The sizable kitchen on this earthen floor positions food as the home’s focal point. Plans are in place to host cooking workshops in the future, further opening the first floor to the community.

The upper floor, supported by columns from the earthen floor below, offers a flexible layout while maintaining a minimalistic design to avoid overlooking the nearby parking. Light filters through a top light, illuminating the lower levels. The design embodies the client’s wish for a straightforward residence that integrates seamlessly with its surroundings and reveals its essence from within. Over time, as the residence evolves, it will increasingly engage with the community, transforming according to its interactions with the urban landscape.