A Peaceful Courtyard City Dwelling for a Tokyo surgeon is Aptly Named

The client wanted a peaceful retreat as a space to rest his body and soul exhausted from his work as a surgeon in Yotsukaido City, Japan.

The brief was for privacy and quietness for the parents and three children to lead healthy lives.

Tokyo-based Apollo Architects & Associates, led by Satoshi Kurosaki created peace within with a two story home facing inward to three courtyards.

The family space on the second floor is a single wraparound space with full-height glazing on two sides.

Because the house is on a noisy street, chunky slabs of reinforced concrete are used to make a soundproof barrier outside the interior spaces.

The family experiences the space by crossing between inside and outside, through the central corridor and roof balcony connecting the main building and annex.

Each of the three courtyards have a different atmosphere.

The smallest, towards the back of the house is a narrow space outside the bathroom.

The garage is separated behind glass from the house, and offers only a glimpse of the nearby street life.

The cars park against rubber barricades.

Other than the parking space, and a glimpse of the tree in the courtyard through glass, almost nothing is visible from the outside. Thick concrete blocks the noise of the heavy traffic and automobile emissions.

Farthest from the street side is the kitchen.

It occupies the corner on the second floor.

Pristine white, it couldn’t be further removed physically and psychologically from the heavy traffic passing by.

Connecting the living spaces, the occupants can cross over on wooden ramps, through the tree canopy.

The wood outside is the perfect antidote to the traffic, enabling the client and his family to return to a slower pace of life, for the peace they need.