Seven Stacked Block Houses and Galleries by KOMPAS Studio

Recently, KOMPAS studio has completed a 'nishiji' project which is a mixed structure designed to accommodate a family home as well as a gallery space. The owner is an art collector who owns a real estate business. To the KOMPAS studio, he asked to build a new structure on his parents' property which is located close to where they live in the historical area, Chiba, Japan.

To obtain maximum results and meet the needs of the owner, the final composition adopts a series of seven volumes stacked in a rectangular shape and standing on a mass of concrete that resembles the base of a castle. This building finally stands out through its design and arrangement. Because it is higher than the surrounding buildings, this house gets natural light from the sun through the wide windows installed on each level.

The gallery and offices are positioned in a three-story vertical arrangement on the south side towards the urban structure that forms the main face of the building. Then, behind the facade, the volume of the building gradually decreases and ends with the central garden. This arrangement can differentiate the level between the two buildings but manages to form visual communication between the building and its owner.

The entrance is uniquely designed so that it has its charm in the morning for visitors and certainly accommodates the needs of the owner. He said that the purpose of this house was to combine publicity and versatility into the new building with an attractive design so that it looks like a 'museum in a house' rather than a 'house with a gallery'.

Traditional kawara tile which is specially designed and painted black is used as an external material to resist weather damage while establishing a solid appearance. In addition, a sawtooth roof is applied facing north to let in abundant sunlight and serves to form a fairly bright circle in the art space.

Due to the owner's growing art collection, the architects designed various interstitial spaces for more flexible use and potential exhibition space to complement the main gallery. In addition, the expansive outdoor terraces and external landscape welcome visitors of all generations to wander around and experience the dynamic spatial array with various materialities and natural light within.

Given the owner's growing collection, various interstitial spaces are designed for flexible use and potential exhibition space to accompany the main gallery. Additionally, the expansive outdoor terraces and external landscape welcome younger and older alike to wander and experience dynamic spatial sequences of varying materiality and sunshine.