Architects: Tomomi Kito architect - associates Project: Renovation of a multi-generation house Location: Tokyo, Japan Area: 140sqm End Date April 2017 Photography: Satoshi Shigeta

建筑师：Tomomi Kito Architect

This is an interior renovation project of an existing two-story timber structure house in Tokyo which was built approximately 40 years ago. The clients, a young couple and the wife’s parents, were already living here before the renovation. Soon after, the wife’s grandmother, who lived alone in the countryside far from Tokyo, also decided to move in. As such, the clients requested to renovate the multi-generation house and to make it suitable for accommodating 4 generations—the grandmother (1st generation), the parents (2nd generation), the clients (3rd generation), the clients’ son (4th generation).

这是东京一座现有的两层木结构房屋的内部装修工程，建于大约40年前。客户，一对年轻夫妇和妻子的父母，在装修前已经住在这里了。不久之后，妻子的祖母也决定搬进来，她独自住在离东京很远的乡下。因此，客户要求翻新多代住宅，并使其适合4代-祖母(第一代)、父母(第2代)、客户(第3代)、客户的儿子(第4代)。

As the age as well as daily living rhythm of each family member are different, creating a space to promote a comfortable connection among them was one of the major challenges of the project. Another focus was the provision of a comfortable living environment. The existing conditions of daylight and ventilation were not preferable since the existing rooms were split into smaller functions and as such they were not open to the exterior environment nor to each other, which led to poor daylight and natural ventilation.

由于每个家庭成员的年龄和日常生活节奏不同，创造出一个空间促进他们之间的舒适联系是项目面临的主要挑战之一。另一个重点是提供舒适的生活环境。现有的日光和通风条件不可取，因为现有房间被划分为较小的功能，因此它们不对外部环境或彼此开放，这导致了较差的日光和自然通风。

Firstly, the architects carefully studied the arrangement of rooms to take full advantage of existing windows thus maximizing natural daylight and ventilation. Furthermore, common spaces adjacent to private rooms were secured in each floor. They act as communication hubs to seamlessly connect different generations. The private rooms are also exchangeable among the members so as to enhance communication between generations; similar to a share-house lifestyle. However, since private rooms were prioritized in planning, securing enough natural daylight in the common space on the 1st floor became another challenge; particularly as it faces north. Consequently, a catenary ceiling was designed on the 2nd floor to better reflect daylight into the 1st floor; this became a distinguishing feature of the house.

首先，建筑师仔细研究了房间的布置，以充分利用现有的窗户，从而最大限度地利用自然日光和通风。此外，每一层都有紧邻私人房间的公用空间。它们充当通讯枢纽，无缝地将不同的世代联系在一起。私人房间也可以在成员之间交换，以加强几代人之间的交流；类似于一种共享式的生活方式。然而，由于私人房间在规划中被列为优先事项，在一楼的公共空间中确保充足的自然日光成为另一个挑战，尤其是在它面向北方的情况下。因此，在二楼设计了一个接触网天花板，以便更好地将日光反射到一楼；这成为房子的一个显著特点。

At the same time, the existing structure was renewed. Although the columns were densely arranged in accordance with the existing partitions, the architects found that the existing house was structurally unbalanced and lacked the necessary structural resistance. As such, they decided to add reinforcements through supporting beams and structural plywood whilst optimizing the use of its existing structural components. As a result, some columns were deemed redundant and thus removable (in total 20 columns were removed), providing an opportunity to create open spaces.

同时，更新了现有结构。虽然柱子按照现有隔墙密集布置，但建筑师发现现有房屋结构不平衡，缺乏必要的结构抗力。因此，他们决定通过支撑梁和结构胶合板添加钢筋，同时优化其现有结构构件的使用。因此，一些列被认为是冗余的，因此可移除(总共20个列被移除)，提供了创建开放空间的机会。

The catenary-shaped ceiling now gently envelopes all 4 generations of the family who ultimately enjoy living in a space abundant of natural daylight and ventilation.

现在，悬链状的天花板轻轻地包围了这个家庭的4代人，他们最终喜欢生活在一个充满自然日光和通风的空间里。