Saito House

In Japan a refurbishment intervention tells the story of the house, the way it was built and its age, making everything visible in the interiors.

Saito House is a project to renovate a duplex house located in a quiet residential area in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.

Once it was handed over to its new owner, the architects were employed to renovate the two-story house with two-by-four construction: they renovated the living, dining and kitchen areas, as well as added a new workspace.

Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

In this project, Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant avoided removing the existing finish where possible in order to reduce dismantling costs and applied the new finishing material directly onto the original finish. To be specific, herringbone flooring and large tiles were directly applied onto the existing floor material, and the original cloth-finished wall and ceiling surfaces were directly covered by plasterboard and finished with paint. On the other hand, removal work was minimized; the main things removed were the partition wall between the dining-kitchen and the living room, which became functionally unnecessary and the cases of the sashes. The two-by-four members revealed due to the removal of the original finish have been kept exposed.

Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc, Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan


Saito House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Program: single-family house
Architects: Seitaro Aso Architecture and Tyrant Inc
Area: 30 sqm
Completion: 2015