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Osaka-based studio Ninkipen! have designed the 4n House in Ikoma city, Nara, Japan. It is a small family house for a couple and their two children. From the architects, “The site had been divided into two levels with a retaining wall, and vehicle access was to the lower level only. We removed the wall, connecting the two levels with a gentle slope, and floated the house above it.
By elevating the house on piloti we created good views and an all weather outdoor space which is also a children’s playground and the entrance porch.
The window rail on the second floor is cantilevered to allow wind flow inside.
The kitchen counter is a thin concrete slab on a timber frame and maybe it is suitable to call it just a flower stand.
The third floor is a cramped but has free flowing atmosphere like an attic.
Children are running around these three floors now.
We hope that this family of four can have a house for their family in the wake of the 3.11 earthquake and live comfortably in their own way.”
Photography: Kawada Hiroki
