Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

House with a Folding Floor

This is a project by Aisaka Architects' Atelier and it is located at Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. Project's program: Single family house. There are twenty images for House with a Folding Floor.

: © Mitsuo Matsuoka

Project details

Project name: House with a Folding Floor
Location: Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
Program: Single family house
Area: Site Area: 212.84 m2 • Built Area: 137.65 m2 or 147.73 m2 (depending on the folding floor)
Year: Completion: 2004
More details: Cost: ¥40,000,000
Client: A married couple
Project by: Aisaka Architects' Atelier
Team: Principal Designer: Kensuke Aisaka
Others: Structural Engineers: Kanebako Structural Engineers • Contractor: Ogawa Komuten

Project images

Designer's statement

This house located in the suburbs of Fujisawa was designed for a young couple. It has two courtyards, each with a different atmosphere: one for the cars, which the husband loves, and one for greenery, which the wife loves. The courtyards allow the couple to move freely between interior and exterior, enhancing the circulation of the home.

However, the most outstanding feature of this house is the folding floor above the living room. In a densely populated country like Japan, effective use of space is extremely important. For instance, a guestroom is not necessary when there are no guests, and a children’s room is not needed before children are born or after they grow up. All rooms are not always necessary. The folding floor allows the house to respond to changing needs.

By closing the folding floor, an extra room can be created whenever it's needed, and by opening the floor, the unused volume of the upper room can be added to the room below that is in use. In other words, the folding floor continuously maximizes the home’s floor area ratio, in the original sense of the term.

Le Corbusier, one of the masters of modern architecture once said, "A house is a machine for living in". That may not be the only condition for a great house, but it certainly is an indispensable one. We believe that homes must become even more convenient machines equipped to serve us throughout our lives.