Stairway House’s Monumental Staircase

Built in the heart of Tokyo’s lively Shinjuku district, Stairway House, the creation of Nendo design studio, is an impressive structure. This vast cube has a monumental staircase running through it, that goes from the top of the building to where the property meets the road.

While the north façade is entirely closed, the south façade is composed exclusively of glass panels, some of which can be tilted to allow air to circulate on the different floors of the house. This building was designed for one family with its three generations all living under the same roof, but in separate spaces. Thus, the first and second floors are inhabited by a couple and their children, while the ground floor is occupied by their parents and their eight cats. In order to preserve this sense of intimacy while preventing the residents from feeling isolated, the studio designed a staircase that connects all the floors of the house while dividing up the space and marking out the different living areas. 

A false staircase

The central element of Stairway House, built from metal on the inside and concrete on the outside, is completely void of its primary function. This staircase hides another within it—one that connects the different floors—and also conceals a bathroom, toilets, the cats’ room, and storage spaces.

Its steps, however, are perfectly suited to accommodating the inhabitants’ conversations or to providing a space for the cats to take a nap. Stairway House is very sober and is comprised of pared-down rooms with furniture designed to harmonise with the anthracite grey colour of the staircase and contrast with the pure white walls.

This monumental staircase recalls the structure of Roof and Mushrooms, also by Studio Nendo. Created in partnership with architect Ryue Nishizawa for Kyoto University of Art and Design, it consists of a long strip of wood that follows a maze of stairs, shielding the steps from the sun.

Stairway House (2019), a building designed by Studio Nendo, can be viewed on their website.