*정주의 공간으로 인식전환 계단 [ Akihisa Hirata ] Coil

어떻게 921sqf 면적을 가진 건축물이 44개의 레벨을 갖을 수 있을까?

적극적인 동선의 사용은 기능을 위한 장치에서 정주를 위한 공간으로 환원된다. 일반적인 시각에서 계단은 서로 다른 레벨을 연결하는 장치이지만, 생각의 차이에 따라 역동적인 장면을 연출하는 공간으로 제공되어 진다. 수납장과 함께 사용, 정주의 기능을 향상시킬 수 있다.

How is a 921-square-foot, 44-level house possible? Witness Tokyo architect Akihisa Hirata’s mind-bending, shape-shifting solution to small-space living.

In most multistory homes, stairs connect floors. But in the 921-square-foot Coil house, located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Tokyo, they are the floors. Defined by 44 steps of varying depths and widths, Coil is a dynamic swirl of continuously ascending spaces, designed by local architect Akihisa Hirata for Sakura and Ryo Sugiura, a young couple with two children.

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Keen to trade their rental apartment in the suburbs for a home of their own, the couple purchased a 15-by-47-foot site, commonly known in Japan as an “eel’s nest.” To maximize the tiny, oblong lot, Hirata divided the permissible building volume with conventional walls and floors as little as possible. Instead, he planted three beefy, square-shaped wooden columns along the plot’s center axis and wrapped each one with stairs. “Big columns are uncommon in contemporary houses, but we needed them to anchor the treads,” explains Hirata. While large, open landings act as rooms, level changes eliminate the need for partitions and doors. “The winding of the stairs separates spaces,” says the architect.

Balancing the steps’ orientation and dimensions (they had to be big enough to hold furniture, such as the clients’ Fritz Hansen dining table and Kartell storage units) with programmatic requirements, such as off-street parking, a terrace, and built-in bookshelves, the three-story climb begins at the wedge-shaped foyer. Four steps descend to the bathroom, while 13 broad treads, ranging in depth from two to five feet and doubling as the library, ascend to a series of large landings, designated as living and sleeping areas. At the top of the house, the sequence culminates in a compact galley kitchen, followed by an elevated dining area. Per the clients’ request, this last room abuts a south-facing terrace, overlooking a leafy shrine precinct. Expansive views from all sides of the house help it feel bigger.