Pyramids have been built by several civilizations across the world. For thousands of years, the biggest structures on the planet were pyramids…In Saijo, Japan a new pyramid was born to shelter a Japanese family on a very modest scale.
A small three-story building with a total floor area of 115sqm presents the formal configuration of a square pyramid, with a square base and four triangular outer surfaces. Curiously, the base of this geometric prism is literally erased, giving the impression of a floating volume from the outside.
This ingenious decision results from a clever distribution of the program: the front door is positioned at the absent base of the pyramid – a fully glazed floor placed one meter below the street level. All the social areas are concentrated on the ground floor: kitchen, living and dining areas and a small toilet.
Glass windows represent the exclusive border between interior and exterior, a 360 degree view over the artificial hill garden that surrounds the entire house to maintain privacy. A central open staircase invites us to the first floor where the main bedroom, a bathroom and a terrace are placed. The last level reserves a space for a single bedroom with a magnificent skylight at the top of the pyramid.
A dark metallic skin covers the four triangular outer surfaces while the interiors are covered in grey stucco. The floor ceilings are clad in wood panels contrasting with the smooth concrete pavement on the ground floor. The staircase begins as a wooden object and finishes with a black metallic appearance… An innovative reinterpretation of a pyramid-shaped structure is now floating on Saigo, Japan.
Architects: Suppose Design Office
Photography: Toshiyuki Yano
This is amazing, but the lack of railings has me a bit concerned. I would love to live in one of these new age looking homes one day if I can afford it!