These sketches tell you everything you need to know about the recently completed Stairway House by Nendo Studio.

The house is setback from its south property line as a result of the surrounding context. A south-facing green space is then introduced, preserving one of the existing trees.

Given that the house serves as a multi-generational household, a central “staircase” is introduced that visually connects all three floors of the house and serves to mitigate any sort of feelings of social isolation across the families.

(The staircase-like structure is only partially functional.)

Finally, the staircase is then expanded outward to connect with the broader city. As you can see from the context plan below, the staircase is on axis with a neighboring city street.

Here’s how it all turned out:

Photos and sketches via Nendo Studio