House H | Hiroyuki Shinozaki’s New Home Points to a Bright Future

by Johnny on January 24, 2013

all photos by Fumihiko Ikemoto | click to enlarge

Matsudo City in Chiba, favored for its proximity to Tokyo, enjoyed a population influx in the 1960s of people looking for more space and lower rents. 50 years after a massive development boom, Matsudo is still a popular exodus destination for families, albeit without the stylish, modern homes being built in some of the less developed areas.

Enter Hiroyuki Shinozaki, a young 34-year old architect who spent 7 years under the wings of the luminous Toyo Ito before establishing his own office in 2009. He took on a young couple and their child, interpreting their desire to create a new symbol of hope and contemporary living in Matsudo.

“House H for a family” was completed just last month, and represents a lovely use of light and space. It’s characterized by a large roof that sits upon eight Y-shaped wooden frames that make no attempt to conceal themselves within the house. Six floorboards hang at different heights, creating a dynamic space that opens and closes as inhabitants shift farther and closer to the roof. At its core, the home is an open floor-plan that manages to maintain a sense of intimacy through compartmentalized space. The wooden frames will hopefully become “a well-thumbed book,” the architect says, speaking of his hope for them to become integrated into the family’s lifestyle as shelving, clothes hangers or a growth chart for the child.