Dezeen · Architectuur

Tato Architects designs skinny home and ceramics studio in Kyoto

Tato Architects has completed a tall, skinny home and ceramics studio in Japan, designed for a couple who are ceramic artists. The project, named House and Studio in Kyoto, navigates the challenges of a narrow "eel's bed" plot and the need for natural light.

The distinctive form of the building is a result of its challenging four by 30-metre plot. To address the limited access to daylight due to adjacent buildings, Tato Architects incorporated two skylit voids, inspired by traditional Kyoto machiya townhouses. These voids function as vertical circulation cores, dividing the building into eastern and western wings above a ground-floor studio.

Zigzagging staircases and walkways cross the central void, connecting the two wings. Landings made of fibre-reinforced plastic allow light to pass through and reduce noise from the studio. Translucent glass walls line the central void, illuminating both the studio and the circulation spaces.

Studio founder Yo Shimada described the 321-square-metre building as being designed at a scale closer to a public space than a private residence, suitable for creation and exhibition, potentially receiving overseas visitors.

The western side of the house features a guest bedroom, a living, dining, and kitchen area with a faceted timber ceiling, and a skylight. The eastern side includes another guest bedroom and study below the main bedroom, with cut-outs providing visual connections between spaces.

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