APOLLO Architects & Associates designed the Terminal house located at Aoyama in Minato ward, which is an area residential and commercial uses are mixed in Tokyo, Japan. According to the architect the client couple sought to build a housing complex on the back lot of a dead end street, and earn their livings by renting a part of it. The plan was to provide an office for rent on the basement floor and a part of the first floor. The residential space for the owner is allocated on the second and the third floor.
The facade is kept simple as office architecture. The reinforced concrete wall constructed with Japanese cedar boards for form, the louver made of hot-dip galvanizing with zinc phosphate coat, and the half-mirror glass are combined to give a refined expression.
The dog-leg staircase penetrates through the center of the building. The continuity from the entrance hall of the first floor to the penthouse allows the natural light to pour into the interior space through the stairwell.
Photographs by Masao Nishikawa
via archdaily.com
