Arrow House / Apollo Architects & Associates

Located in Shinagawa ward Tokyo, Arrow House designed by APOLLO Architects & Associates. The volume is used as both a private residence — in the first floor — and a photo studio — in the ground floor. Access to the house is made via a slightly sloped staircase, which adapts to the long and narrow site.

Architects: Apollo Architects & Associates
Location: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
Photographs: Masao Nishikawa

“The shallow sloped approach-stairs nicely match the sharp inclined wall,” states architect Satoshi Kurosaki, “and function as a novelty to invite visitors.” A pitched roof echoes the sloped staircase. Inside, a slit-shaped skylight allows daylight to invade all spaces, creating dramatic shadows. A series of diagonals permeate the space, in an effect that Kurosaki describes as a “comfortable unease”.