Tokyo-based architects takeshi and yuka komada are re-imagining the possibilities of the small urban infill lot with their 'HAT house', an elegant exercise in urban dwelling. located on a small corner site in the suginami-ku section of tokyo, the architects strove to combat urban congestion and redefine the relationship of interior and exterior by developing a symmetrical square plan with two open decks. these 'wings' make use of the corner site by creating a continuous horizontal first floor plane, interrupted only by the sliding glass doors.
This minimalist veranda is covered by a 'hat-like' asymmetrical roof. the glazing on all four sides of the house provides views of the nearby park and visually widen the occupiable space. the basement level is a carpark, in keeping with the vertical thinking that so characterizes urban living. each corner of the two story house contains a different private program, among them, storerooms, toilets, a staircase, and most remarkably a komoreru room - a space of calm in the surrounding urban streetscape.