Parabola House is a new family home in Tokyo designed by Japanese architect Yasuhiro Yamashita of Atelier Tekuto.

Photographs by Makoto Yoshida.

The following information comes from the architects:

--

The site is located in a quiet residential area surrounded by nature. 6m in width and 27m in length, it is a long and narrow site, which has been constructed 3m above road-level so that on clear days, it enjoys views of Mount Fuji.

As the client’s family spends the most part of the day in the living room, this room has been situated on the top floor, which benefits from scenic views. In order to fully exploit the length of the site, a cantilever has been constructed on to the front of the building.

Minimal design and a parabolic ceiling on the top floor are the building’s distinctive features. Splashes of colour provide a contrast to the undulating white surroundings, giving rhythm to the space.

The flowing “three dimensional” ceiling, which dips and rises to varying levels of height, arouses contrasting feelings of “tension” and “release” and gives the room a sense of boundlessness.

Thus, even when observing the room from a fixed position, the fluctuating density invokes a sense of movement, which unconsciously guides the observer right through and beyond the room’s boundaries, as if following the flow of air, giving the impression of endless space.

It is normally the floor and the walls that delineate the boundaries of the interior space but in this case, it is the parabolic ceiling that defines its essence.

Above: first floor plan

Above: second floor plan