*일본 협소주택 [ Ninkipen ] Gandare house

Japanese architect Ninkipen! has completed a house in Osaka Prefecture, featuring a metal surface that appears to be peeling up from the structure.

Located in Neyagawa, Gandare is a narrow three-storey house slotted in between existing buildings in a busy residential neighbourhood.

Unlike its more traditional neighbours, the 88-square-metre residence has a simple rectilinear form with a flat roof and slender-framed windows.

Its facade is covered with a coated steel cladding, which curls up at the base to create a canopy for the entrance.

Inside, the property features a straightforward layout, with few rooms on each floor. This ensures there is plenty of light, even though there are just a few windows and a skylight.

Ninkipen! – whose previous projects include a tiny gabled pharmacy and a house on pilotis – sees the project as a model for the community, where many existing houses are being replaced with taller and more fire-resistant alternatives.

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"I considered what kind of a design of a house is able to participate in the renewal of the city," explained the architect, whose real name is Yasuo Imazu.

"I arranged the positions of the windows in plan, cross section and elevation, by taking advantage of many restrictions on wooden houses in quasi-fire prevention districts."

On the ground floor, a parking space sits in front of an entrance, which leads though to a compact lobby. Rooms on this floor include a bathroom, a storage area and a dressing room.

A living and dining room occupies the entire first floor, while the second floor houses a large bedroom with a mezzanine loft above.

from dezeen