Have you ever truly observed a circus tent? They’re quite unique and amusing! They feature a round shape with subtle repetitive facets and a geometrically intriguing form. And this holiday home in Japan’s Chiba prefecture is inspired by a circus tent! Called, the Circus, the home is designed by architect Hitoshi Saruta of the Tokyo-based studio Cubo Design Architect. It was commissioned by a client who is a massive car lover, and wanted a space that would hold him, and his cars!
Designer: Hitoshi Saruta of Cubo Design Architect
The home was designed to enable the client to ‘spend time with cars’. The circular tent-like shape of the home was selected since its quite flexible and provides a spacious interior, where the client’s cars can be showcased and displayed with ease. The generosity and openness of the interior allow each car to be shown off proudly. However, as flamboyant as the home is on the inside, it is as simple and mysterious on the outside. The exterior of the holiday home features a rather dark color. The tensile form of the tent-like home adds to this mysteriousness, creating a facade that is quite discreet. “In contrast to a typical house with a built-in garage, the aim here was to blur the boundaries between people, cars, and rooms in a relaxed environment,” said the architect.
“Viewed from below, the frame of the house evokes an open paper umbrella, an intentional reference to Japanese design. The client has a playful personality and suggested many fun ideas that we incorporated throughout the house, and on weekends it is filled with car-loving friends. Like a grown-up version of the secret hideouts we built on empty lots as children, the project was as much fun to design as it is to inhabit.” concluded the architect.
The monochrome outer walls are slanted and join on top to create a 24-sided volume. The interior of the structure is built using advanced prefabricated timber and precision steel hardware manufacturing technologies. This produces a space that is like a sophisticated and refined garage. It can be quite aptly coined as ‘garage living’. It allows people and cars to coexist and live in synchronicity side by side. The second floor of the home is on a raised level and holds the private living space of the owner. It consists of a bedroom and a central Jacuzzi with a waterfall shower.
