Tezuka Architects Roof House

I've fallen in love with the simple, uniquely clever style of homes by Japan's Tezuka Architects. The tiny Engawa House is in my top five all time favorites. Here's another great one: the Roof House.

Every family has some unique requirement for their home. The family that commissioned the Roof House liked to sit out on their roof and eat lunch. That's what they wanted, literally, a house with a big roof deck. And why not? The site of their new home is on a beautiful hillside overlooking a small, pleasant valley. If you have a view like that why waste it?




The Tezukas delivered a home with a gently sloping roof that parallels the terrain of the site. The space is fully equipped for family living. It has an outdoor kitchen and dining table, a stove, and believe it or not, a shower. From the pictures I've seen it is not enclosed or sheltered from the neighbors' windows. Now, I know Japanese sensibilities are a little different from Americans', but I think I'd take my shower in the inside bath. Nevertheless, I love it when a home challenges convention, and this one surely does. And issues of culture and modesty aside, I'm sure anyone can enjoy lunch in the sunshine, taking in the panorama below. There's a small wall section to help shelter diners from the prevailing breezes. It looks extremely pleasant up there.




Now, I have small children, and I'm not sure I'd be totally comfortable with them playing on an open roof with no kind of rail. But again I'm inclined to ignore that in favor of appreciating the creativity of the space.

Inside there are skylights everywhere - eight of them - and lots of ladders to take you up to the roof (there's even one in the inside bathroom). Thought the family prefers lounging on the roof the inside space is great too. In typical Japanese fashion it has a small but effective kitchen, a nice open living space (minimally furnished), a small bedroom for parents and another for children, a small office, and a single bath. Simple sliding doors divide the rooms where necessary.




It looks like a really comfortable and livable family home. Very open and bright. Very relaxed.

Visit the Tezuka site for more photos of the house, or pick up the book Small Houses- Edition 2007 by Carles Broto. The book features both the Roof House and the Engawa House, as well as many other fine examples of compact homes.

Image credits - Tezuka Architects site