House K | Keikichi Yamauchi architect and associate

This two-household home for a couple with two elementary school kids and their grandmother is built in a typical residential area in Sapporo-city, Hokkaido prefecture. The first floor is for the grandmother, the second and third floors are for the family of four, and they share the entrance. This floor composition allows each family to live independently. 　Two courtyards are made to fulfill the contradicting requirements of ensuring privacy from passersby and the surroundings, and of providing abundant daylight. For the first floor, the garage is built separately on the south side that faces the road. The house is built on the north side, and a courtyard in-between. In addition to ensuring privacy and providing daylight, this yard is used as a kitchen garden for the grandmother. A yard surrounded by walls is created on the east side of the dining room on the second floor. This yard is used for small parties as an extension of the indoor space without being conscious of the surroundings.