Case by Jun Igarashi Architects // Sapporo, Japan.

With it’s multiple platforms set over three levels, twisting staircases and timber ladders, Case by Jun Igarashi Architects is reminiscent of an indoor tree-house. The sense of play and adventure created from multiple levels and connecting sets of stairs is offset with a paired back aesthetic – the design embraces a simple material palette of timber and concrete alongside a dominant field of white used on walls and painted steel stairs.

Designed around a family living room with a 7m high ceiling, Case is also extremely open. Instead of walls, spaces are separated from the central area by the staircases and various levels. For the most part, each level can be seen into from the central living room, making for a very connected house. If we’re perfectly honest, if it’s all a bit difficult to comprehend – the first of the two lightweight steel staircases curves up from the living room and leads to a timber mezzanine just below the roof. The second staircase winds down from this level to a bedroom on a second mezzanine, and a third platform that sits directly above can be accessed by a timber ladder. Get it? Me neither.

The house is not entirely open as the kitchen is closed off with a full-height partition that runs along one side of the living room. The oversized rectangular void placed in the centre allows visibility from the kitchen through to the living room and levels above. Ground floor also houses other more private rooms, such as the bathroom, separated by three curvy corridors instead of doors. The tunnel-like corridors create a similar sense of play kist like ladders and the platforms, making this one curiously fun (and confusing!) house to live in.

[Photography by Daici Ano.]