The S-House project by Yuusuke Karasawa Architects, located in Chichibu, Japan, is a really interesting house covering 104 square meters, built in 2013. It is placed in an area that is residential, close to the Omiya station.
In this house we see 2 50 square meters floors that are cross over in 2 levels right on the site. Every single level is quartered, with elevated 2 opposing floors. Eaves surrounded at ceiling middle height intertwine with elevated floors. This creates an interesting space characterized by a network that is complex.

Floors again branch out to continue up, staggering against exterior eaves in order to create an intricate elevation. We have a complicated structural logic that is applied to elevation and the result is having floors that entwine diagonally. All while having a void right at the middle.
From the void, the opposing space seems to visually continue but you can only get to it by going through those complicated levels. We have visually adjacent areas that are separated by actual travel distance.

We have a really strong 3D depth and distance seems to be disturbed but architectural space is created with various distances becoming complicated. The architecture realizes the network-type spaces with distances being complex, all labeled as being “network of complex levels”.
The architects declared that they hope the layered network space is going to become an architectural form capable of capturing activities born out of the information society of these days. The goal is to have order and diversity present at the exact same time, most likely in a building that is related to IT.
Photographs: Koichi Torimura