Margin House is the personal home of Yukawa Design Lab’s co-founder Kohei Yukawa. Located in an Osaka suburb on a property with an agricultural plot in its backyard, it is built around the idea of “margins” — defined by the architect as a series of voids and openings — that connect street to house to field.
Its corrugated metal-clad form is composed of three mono-pitched roofs angled in two different directions, the higher ceilings facing the backyard. Large windows dominate the middle portion of the dwelling, stretching from ground to ceiling and ushering in a constant stream of light to the interiors.
The formal home is prefaced by a multipurpose zone called doma, a typical feature of traditional Japanese homes that acts as a threshold between the indoors and outdoors. Used by the family as a workspace, play area and indoor barbecue zone, its flexibility was wholly appreciated during the pandemic.
As one ascends the wooden staircases, the rest of the home reveals itself across split levels. The volume is broken down even further into partitions, announced by lower wood-beamed ceilings or sliding shoji screens which create unique, personalised pockets of spaces. “Because of these margins, we can spread out in the house, feel the change of time and season, and maintain a calm and rich life without suffering from a feeling of blockage,” says Yukawa.
Accentuating Margin House’s height is a large tree planted in the atrium, visible and close enough to touch from the upper mezzanines, enhancing the connection with nature.
More projects by Yukawa Design Lab. Follow them on Instagram.
Photography © Yohei Sasakura for Yukawa Design Lab