As one of the world's largest and most expensive cities, it would come as no surprise that Tokyo can be, at places, pretty strapped for space. The result can leave the city's residents, who are looking to build their dream home, struggling to find their own perfect plot of land, no matter of size or location. It can also offer ample motivation for a variety of clever and creative solutions.
An example of the genre, the Nerima house is a recently completed residential build in Tokyo by Stockholm based architects Elding Oscarson. The project is located on a fairly compact 100 sq m, 35 year old garden plot in the leafy outskirts of the Japanese capital. From the very start of the project, the client had requested to preserve as much of the garden's plants as possible, so now the property is engulfed in a rich green oasis.
The home's entrance floor lies semi-submerged below ground level, offering an extra element of privacy for the owners, as well as enhancing the visual connection to the surrounding foliage. The majority of the 99 sq m house, which spans two levels, is designed in an open plan, as the architects wanted to avoid dividing the property into many smaller spaces, in order to secure a more generous and airy feel inside.
One of the timber-clad structure's most defining features is its glass strip window, which sits on the top floor and goes around the building. This 360-degree panoramic window adds to the interior's sense of space and floods the floor with light. The large opening is supported by a series of understated, thin white solid steel columns, which don't detract from the horizontal band's strong visual effect.
Elding Oscarson, headed by Johan Oscarson and Jonas Elding, work in both Sweden and Japan – and have a nomination for Wallpaper* Best Private House in 2011 under their belt, for their Landskrona townhouse scheme. Their style – clean, minimal and sophisticated – is both sensitive to its context and modern.
True to this approach, their vision for the Nerima house aimed for a ‘rich atmosphere surrounded by light and nature.’ The duo combined the best of both countries' worlds, marrying Scandinavian minimalism with a Japanese sense of warmth and tactility, all impressively incorporated into this compact property.
Tokyo is one of the world's largest and most densely populated cities, and its residents are often struggling to secure the perfect spot to build their dream homes; Nerima House cleverly uses an old garden plot
The 100sq m garden's foliage was partly preserved and now surrounds the property
The structure's ground floor lies semi-submerged below ground level, offering an extra element of privacy, while strengthening the connection to the surrounding garden
The house has been designed as an open plan space; the architects wanted to avoid dividing the property into smaller parts, in order to create a spacious and airy interior
A defining feature of the Nerima house is its glass strip window, situated on the top floor of the property. This 360-degree window offers a panoramic view of the surrounding neighbourhood...
..while a roof terrace at the house's top offers views of the city beyond
The architects aimed for a ‘rich atmosphere, surrounded by light and nature.’ The timber-clad house is modern, but respectful to its context.
The duo combined aspects of both Japanese and Scandinavian culture, achieving a space that combines refined minimalism with tactile elements and a sense of warmth
INFORMATION
For more information on the Nerima house, visit Elding Oscarson’s website
Photography: Kenichi Suzuki
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