The site is in a corner of a residential area made up of densely mixed houses and apartments, slightly outside the center of Tokyo. It is a rectangular site of approximately 230m2 with a narrow access way and is adjacent to the “Shimouma Town Houses” that were completed last year. There is a 2 meter difference in grade between the access way and the main part of the site. Aside from the “Shimouma Town Houses”, the adjacent buildings have elements such as openings facing onto the site and external corridors near the site boundary. The rectangular plan is divided in four parts on each level - into oblong forms on the Grand Level and into 2Å~2 grids in the basement and on the second floor. The various parts are combined one by one into individual units. Although the four units have the same spatial structure, the spatial composition of each one has a subtly different character depending on its orientation. The residents can select a unit and define their own uses for the four different spaces within.
		Shimouma 4 Houses (2001-) location: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo architects: Koh Kitayama + architecture WORKSHOP producers: Archinet structural engineers: Structural Design PLUS ONE mechanical engineers: Dan Engineering Office general contractors: Shinnihon Construction site area: 232.97m2 building area: 116.22m2 total floor area: 364.59m2 basement floor area: 134.00m2 1st floor area: 113.39m2 2nd floor area: 106.00m2 dwelling unit area: 86.08 - 96.21m2 structure: reinforced concrete; 1 basement and 2 stories maximum height: 6,900mm type of dwelling: private, owned dwelling number of dwelling: 4 projected completion date: March, 2003 next back top