This ballet studio and residence is located in an old residential area near Rikugien, one of the two largest gardens in Edo. In the past, the area was bustling with many plant stores. If you look at Tokyo from a bird’s eye view, you will notice that this neighborhood is one of the largest green belts in the city.Nowadays, however, this area is undergoing mini-development, and the original abundance of green space is being replaced by a seemingly superfluous greenery.

Therefore, we wanted to create an architecture that embraces greenery so that this site can become a small oasis in the city. The owner was born and raised in this town, and the classroom will always be a part of it. We wanted the construction to be a small act of repayment to the town.

First, the studio floor area was maximized, and the effective height was set at 4.2m to allow for large leaps. The floor is detached from the ground, and small volumes are piled up on the upper and lower levels, respectively. The lower level is an attached garage and studio, while the upper level is a compact residence designed for a small number of people. The gap between these volumes creates a void, which is used as an eave and terrace, bringing in an abundance of greenery.

The ballet school run by the owner of the house has always emphasized the importance of performances (recitals). The architecture also inherits this spirit, and we decided to consider the theater as a model. If the opening on the north side is regarded as a proscenium and the textile as a rug, the studio will be transformed into a stage, and the city outside will expand as the audience seats. By keeping the ceiling height of the garage to the minimum and the stage level close to the street level, we tried to shorten the distance from the city.

The residential portion of the building resembles a penthouse. The terrace surrounds the house and is seamlessly connected to the interior floor. The roof shape, which was boldly cut away to avoid setback plane, is directly reflected in the sloping ceiling of the interior, with the bedroom above a box containing water and storage space, and the rest of the space for dining and entertaining.

A structural engineer visiting from abroad once commented on the view from the interior, saying that it was very Tokyo-like. We decided to name this building “Tokyo Ballet House” because we value the continuity with the city.