Share Yaraicho is a project for multigenerational shared housing in the Tokyo neighborhood of Kagarazaka So far, the project consists of 3 share houses in the same neighborhood with five to seven people living in each. The team of architects - Satoko Shinohara of Spatial Design Studio, Ayano Uchimura of A Studio, and me - not only designs the buildings but also manages the housing and organizes events. Since none of the buildings are typical modern Japanese houses, an organizing committee is required for the everyday management of the facilities. While share houses are rare in Japan, Tokyo has a tradition that dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868) of multiple households living in one building. People in those machiya(townhouses), shared courtyards, kitchens, bathrooms, and wells. That history inspired our first share house, which provides the same shared facilities and common space. The inspiration also came from Satoko Shinohara's childhood home, an old farmer's house in the countryside of Chiba prefecture, a 1-hour drive from Tokyo. The house has a large, concrete-floored entrance hall called a doma. The doma can be used for meetings, festivities, or farmers' work, and it functions as a community space even though it's inside the private residence.
展开▼
