semi-cylindrical roof brings daylight into AOIM's three-story residence in tokyo

"In central Tokyo's Koishikawa district, architectural studio AOIM completes a three-story residence, shaped around a softly curving roof that gathers, reflects, and diffuses daylight into the interiors. Hemmed in by factories, apartment buildings, and commercial blocks, the plot is long and narrow, with the only two sources of openness being its depth from the street and the strip of sky overhead."

"The roof forms an inverted arc, a smooth, semi-cylindrical curve reminiscent of the traditional Japanese fish cake kamaboko, to admit light while also modulating its character. As the sun shifts across the day, the curve scatters direct rays into a gentle, even glow, altering in brightness and hue with the weather outside. Morning meals unfold beneath a glow that feels like a spotlight, while throughout the day, the interiors absorb variations in tone that anchor the occupants to seasonal change."

"At the rear of the House in Koishikawa, where visibility to the outside is both a gift and a risk, the Tokyo-based architects at AOIM insert an atrium and terrace as a threshold between domestic life and the city that doubles as an atelier, capturing greenery from borrowed views while opening onto an exterior staircase. The stair acts as a screen and extension, offering partial shelter and encouraging residents to step out and engage with the neighborhood on a terrace designed to be used as casually as a bench."

AOIM's three-story House in Koishikawa is shaped around an inverted, semi-cylindrical arcing roof that gathers, reflects, and scatters daylight to produce a soft, even interior glow. The long, narrow site offers openness only along its depth and a strip of sky, prompting the roof to mediate light and express seasonal shifts in brightness and hue. An atrium and terrace at the rear act as a threshold to the city, capturing borrowed greenery and opening onto an exterior staircase that doubles as a screened extension and casual terrace. The reinforced concrete structure is externally insulated while interior walls remain raw, their hand-formed roughness softened by natural light.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine