The site is located at the back of an alley in a residential area of Sendagaya, with only a 2-meter frontage to the road. It is surrounded on the east, west, and south sides by adjacent buildings, most of which are built up to the maximum allowable floor area ratio under a 10-meter height limit that is exempt from shadow regulations.

There is a difference in elevation of about 3 meters with the neighboring lot to the north, and the site is enclosed on all sides by 10-meter-high building walls and retaining walls. It's no exaggeration to say that this site is an underground environment created by urban economic and legal regulations. If the site were built to its full volume, it would be completely contained within the building, with the roof surface becoming like the ground. As if digging a hole underground, we ensured that stairs descending from the ground and approaches to each room were secured, while leaving a gap between the building and the neighboring lot to capture the light pouring down from the sky and the flowing breeze, which can only be seen by looking up. The building’s expression is hardly perceivable from the human eye level; only the strata revealed by excavation appear as its visible expression.

We don’t want the space, which was so hard-won within a limited area, to feel smaller because of finishes. If the subtle light filtering in brings character to the space, then I want the concrete walls and ceiling to have unevenness and texture, revealing the expression of the formwork and materials poured into them. Openings should not act merely as boundaries; the walls beyond should be embraced as part of the acquired space. The wet areas and pipe shafts are compactly organized, so that as much surface as possible may be in contact with light and wind. As far as possible, we tried to make it a one-room space, with alternating forward and inverted beams on the floor and subtle planar constrictions to define zones while keeping the space open and airy.

The external stairs and approach, carved like a crevasse, connect the alleys that connect to the site slightly, and the terraces and earthen floor spaces that reveal human activity, allowing light and breezes to pass through. This is an attempt to create a well-ventilated space for people on a plateau shaped by modern capitalist development.