丨日本东京丨株式会社R.E.A.D.

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

PHOTO by Kosuke Ino

PHOTO by Nao Takahashi

House “H”

Completion：

2024

Principal use：

Private house

Location：

Somewhere in Tokyo

Total floor area：

224㎡

Floor：

2 stories

An H-Shaped House on a Flagpole Lot

Flagpole-shaped lots are common in central Tokyo. These narrow access lots, originally created to build homes deep within blocks lacking proper road infrastructure, have recently increased as a way to meet frontage regulations or secure more building plots in the high-priced city center. Their irregular geometry often brings environmental challenges such as limited daylight, poor ventilation, restricted views, and compromised privacy due to the surrounding dense housing.

This project is a private residence designed on a trapezoidal flagpole lot within a dense residential neighborhood in Meguro, Tokyo. The clients, a young couple with a small child, expressed a simple yet challenging wish:

“We want to live with our curtains wide open, enjoying the sky and the greenery without worrying about prying eyes.”

Surrounded on all sides by neighboring houses, achieving this seemed almost impossible at first.

We began by closely studying the site, identifying even the smallest opportunities for openness while shielding views where necessary. Fortunately, the lot was relatively large, leaving residual spaces even after accommodating the required building footprint. This inspired us to position an H-shaped plan within the trapezoidal site, then enclose the outer perimeter with concrete walls for privacy. The gaps created between the trapezoid and the H-shape became a series of distinct gardens—a strategy to “create exterior spaces within the site.”

On the first floor, the rooms are gently linked by these gardens, forming a flexible, shared family space. On the south side, a deck terrace connects to the dining-kitchen, living room, and a multipurpose library through a set of U-shaped wooden sliding doors, which can be fully opened for seamless integration. A tatami room was placed at the northern corner for use as a guestroom for visiting parents. The second floor contains private areas centered around the bedrooms, with terraces designed to capture sky and greenery even from the upper level.

Each garden serves a specific purpose, balancing children’s active outdoor play with quiet spaces for adults to relax. The entrance garden welcomes guests; the northern courtyard, enclosed by concrete walls, offers a serene, contemplative atmosphere; the sunny southern deck terrace encourages active play; the small garden outside the tatami room serves as a framed view; and the second-floor terrace, separated from the lively first floor, is a calm space for reading or quiet moments along a corridor with built-in seating.

Inside, spaces and gardens are loosely separated yet visually connected, allowing family members to choose their preferred place to spend time. Moving horizontally and vertically through the H-shaped plan reveals shifting views of greenery and sky from each window, while maintaining a subtle sense of connection among family members.

We hope this H-shaped house can serve as a prototype—a way to create a home in the heart of Tokyo’s dense flagpole lots where one can live freely, with openness to the sky and greenery, without concern for the surrounding gaze.