Introducing Renovation of a Circulatory Maisonette | Sarasa House, a custom-built home example by Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates, a Architect / Design office in 302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka
The ceiling is left unlined; illumination is provided exclusively by indirect lighting.
Entrance. The feature wall facing the entrance is finished with Ecocarat tiles.
Entrance hall. Stair treads were replaced from carpet to laminated timber treads.
View from the stairs overlooking the entrance. A shoe closet is located adjacent to the doorway.
The cramped wall‑mounted kitchen was reconfigured into a U‑shaped, window‑facing layout to provide ample workspace.
The kitchen and curtains are rendered in earth tones that harmonize with the walls and flooring.
The wall behind the kitchen was furred out to accommodate supply/drain plumbing and ventilation routes.
The rear room, formerly a Japanese tatami room, was opened and integrated into the LDK.
A pocket sliding door allows the space to serve as a private room for guests or, in future, as the master bedroom.
Interior finishes were selected to complement the clients’ existing furniture, using solid wood flooring and diatomaceous‑earth plaster to create a calm tonal palette.
Spray‑applied polyurethane foam was applied to exterior wall surfaces and secondary glazing was installed at openings to improve thermal insulation, airtightness, and sound insulation.
Custom joinery housing documents and AV equipment.
Existing furniture fits neatly beneath the indirect lighting.
Indirect lighting is concealed within channel steel attached to the beam soffit, producing a floating ceiling effect.
Sanitary areas are unified in white.
Lighting employs the so‑called 'dressing‑room' style, using linear LED tube fixtures mounted on both sides.
A slender washroom incorporating the corridor.
The terrace is surfaced with Oya stone and an artificial‑wood deck; the assembly is removable for major exterior repairs.
Couple Living
Skeleton Remodeling
Renovation
Flexible Partition
Luxury Modern
Calm Presence
Simple Modern
Circulation Flow
Simple Life
Apartment Renovation
indirectlighting
maisonette
EcocaratTiles
insulation
soundproofing
Keishiro Yamada
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Throughout northern Osaka Prefecture there are several condominium buildings designed by architect Tsuyoshi Endo. Their experimental plans and building groupings that skillfully exploit the hilly terrain remain popular today, but aging building systems and the relatively modest thermal and acoustic performance compared with current standards make specification upgrades a pressing issue. This project is one such apartment unit. It features a distinctive maisonette configuration with continuous circulation organized around a central staircase. The clients had lived in the residence for many years with strong attachment and wished to remain, but changes in lifestyle and the need for repairs prompted a renovation. Unlike purchasing a different used property, renovating a long‑occupied home requires a pragmatic, remedial approach because familiar room layouts and circulation the occupants do not want to change coexist with elements they have long found problematic. In architecturally detailed apartment buildings the layout and structural frame are often inseparable, and a well‑crafted plan can retain an enduring collective residential quality. Rather than starting from a full strip‑out, we proposed a grafting‑like renovation that inherits the previous architect’s layout and develops it further.
Use: Multi-family residential building; Structure/Scale: Reinforced concrete construction — part of a 4-storey building (project scope: 2nd and 3rd floors); Area for unit-cost calculation: 37 tsubo [123 m2]; Design supervision: Yoshihiro Yamamoto [YYAA]; Construction: Matsumoto Construction; Lighting design: Shingo Ishido [DAIKO Osaka TACT]; Fabrics: fabricscape; Exterior works: Takeo Matsushita [soji] c
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