APOLLO Architects design the Nest, a small steel frame structure of three level house

Architects: APOLLO Architects
Location: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Year: 2015
Area: 463 ft²/ 43 m²
Photo courtesy: Masao Nishikawa
Description:

“This small house located within a commercial area near Nagoya station is built on a lot with 43 sqm in steel frame structure of three levels, while building area is less than just 33 sqm. The chic building exterior, covered with brown-colored louver and exterior wall with gray-colored spray paint, looks as if like a nest of a bird.

The 1st floor level consists of a garage space in a piloti style for a small car, the entrance to the house at the end of the approach, and a main bedroom, while the 2nd floor level is compactly provided with a children’s room and water section. The entire space of the main bedroom is treated as furniture to be conscious about the tightness of the space, thus a bed with storable mattress was provided along with a headboard equipped with indirect lighting system, creating a cozy and intimate atmosphere only available within such “tight” space.

The children’s room on the 2nd floor level is intentionally kept as an open layout continuous to the staircase area, allowing to be used as a multi-purpose space for adding spatial flexibility to the entire house. Because of this house in such small configuration, it is necessary to provide a niche space beyond pure functionality. A cockpit-style kitchen is provided on the 3rd floor level for mother and daughters to enjoy cooking together in the future, while this kitchen is connected to a compact dining table to make the space as a central focus of the house. The finish of the built-in kitchen and the interior is consistent by the use of lauan plywood, creating a sense of unity within the small space and pleasant feeling from its fine details.

The top light above the double-height living space provides ample daylight, creating an open atmosphere with the view to the sky. Louver of the balcony allows visibility from inside, while the sight from the outside is blocked to control the privacy level. This is the prototype of an urban residence, realizing the originality of the client by making the best use of the site conditions.”