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A “Floating” House with a Gallery Open to the Community

01.06.14 | By
A “Floating” House with a Gallery Open to the Community

Beyond The Hill is a residence located in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, that is more than just your typical house with an office. The client hired Kazuhiko Kishimoto / acaa to design a house on a lot that faces a steep slope with a bit of an unusual request – to include a small gallery. The house was not to just have a gallery, it had to be a gallery open to the entire town community.

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To achieve the request, Kishimoto designed the house to “float” with the only grounded room being the gallery.

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Surrounding the gallery is an open, sunny wooden deck for the town to enjoy.

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Built into the deck is a round hollow hole that acts as a bench for people to sit on and enjoy a meal. The underground space can also double as an outdoor gallery.

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Photo by Ryogo Utatsu

The wooden deck helps merge the internal and external ares of the house, helping to create a seamless feel.

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Staircases lead to the residential and office areas.

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Just off the kitchen is a space that you can sit and view the wooded area just outside the massive window.

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In the kitchen, a wide countertop was used to accommodate cooking classes that the homeowner organizes.

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The uneven flooring allows for extra seating throughout the public spaces. On the edges of the stairs, there are also spaces for people to sit.

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The windows provide such amazing patterns on the walls when the sun filters in.

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All photos by Hiroshi Ueda except where noted.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.