In the dense urban fabric of Osaka City, finding space for architectural invention seems a challenge. Yet, Fujiwaramuro Architects have transformed the constraints of a narrow flagpole lot into a remarkable family home that turns inward and upward. The House in Hirano is a testament to ingenious problem-solving, where limited ground dimensions gave way to a vertical exploration of light, volume, and an unexpected sense of the outdoors within.
The project began with a familiar urban scenario: a client purchasing one of several subdivided plots in a residential area in Osaka, originally intended for ready-built houses. The chosen lot’s flagpole configuration – a slender access corridor leading to a slightly wider main plot – presented immediate spatial hurdles. However, recognizing they could utilize up to three meters of the pole section’s width, the architects saw potential where others might see only limitation. Their solution? To strategically encroach into the pole section, integrating this often-wasted space into the home’s core fabric.
Facing a tight site surrounded by buildings on all four sides, conventional windows offered little beyond views of neighbouring walls. Fujiwaramuro’s pivotal insight was simple yet profound: look up. The sky became the prized vista. “Therefore, we first created a skylight,” the architects state, “and then conceived a composition centered around the light from that skylight.” This decision fundamentally shaped the home’s entire spatial narrative.
Moving beyond traditional floorplates, the architects envisioned the interior as a “gradual stacking of natural terrain.” This topography-like configuration results in different floor levels cascading throughout the living spaces. The effect is transformative, fostering an outdoor feeling inside the house. Walls curve and floors rise and fall, creating various places to stay – nooks, platforms, and perches – that evoke the sensation of “sitting on top of a natural terrain.” This deliberate disruption of conventional house layouts injects dynamism and discovery into every corner.
Crafted for a family of five, the House in Hirano masterfully balances the client’s dual requests: a compact house fulfilling basic residential needs, yet simultaneously stimulating and unique. Private rooms find their place within the sculpted volume, while the interconnected, multi-level common areas, bathed in skylight illumination, provide both intimacy and an expansive sense of openness and freedom. The light-filled interior, drawn downwards from the central skylight shaft, becomes the home’s animating force, constantly shifting throughout the day.
The final, flowing form emerged through a collaborative process involving “a series of discussions with the client,” translating the abstract concept of an indoor landscape into buildable reality. Fujiwaramuro Architects express their hope that this unique space-making process will gift the family ongoing “pleasure of finding unexpected places to stay.”
In the House in Hirano, constraint has birthed creativity, proving that even on the most challenging Osaka residential plot, innovative Japanese architecture can carve out havens of light, terrain, and surprise. The home stands as a beacon of thoughtful, site-responsive design, turning its gaze skyward to find boundless inspiration within its walls.