Project: Floating Boxes (KRE House)

Floating Boxes (KRE House)

Photo © Koichi Torimura

KRE House designed by Takuya Tsuchida is located in the posh Shirokane area of Tokyo. In case you wonder who owns so many cars in the middle of Tokyo: the client of this 9 car garage house, who is in his 40s, runs a clothing and restaurant business. Cheers to the Lamborghini Countach Anniversary edition

Photos © Koichi Torimura

^Who: Takuya Tsuchida / no.555
^What: Single family residence
^Where: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
^When: February 2008
^How: Two-story with half basement, reinforced concrete and steel frame construction
^{Site Area:} 2,108 square feet (195.84㎡)
^{Construction Area:} 1,249 square feet (116.00㎡)
^{Total Floor Area:} 3,560 square feet (330.73㎡)

Photo © Koichi Torimura
A client says "I want a 9 car garage and be able to enjoy viewing one of them in the living room." These may not be typical amenities for a house in a super posh neighborhood in the US, but it is feasible. "Oh, and the living room needs a tall tree."

Given only a little more than 2000 square feet of land, what will an architect do in the most populous part of Tokyo when his enthusiastic client makes such requests? This was the case with Takuya Tsuchida whose unique design for a house in Fukushima Prefecture was shown here in January.

Due to the unique structural design and floor layout, it wasn't easy for them to acquire a building permit for this house, but in the end the enthusiasms of both the client and architect prevailed.

Drawings © number fives architectural design office