4n house by Ninkipen!
This family house in Nara, Japan, is raised up on pilotis and residents have to enter using a staircase beneath the floor (+ slideshow).
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_3.jpg)
Named 4n, the residence was designed by Osaka studio Ninkipen! to house a couple and their two children.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_2.jpg)
The site had previously been split into two levels with a retaining wall in between. Rather than levelling the ground, the architects decided to create a hill and position the house above it.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_1sq.jpg)
"We removed the wall, connecting the two levels with a gentle slope, and floated the house above it," said architect Imazu Yasuo. "By elevating the house on pilotis we created good views and an all-weather outdoor space."
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_4.jpg)
The cantilevered front end of the building forms the shelter for an entrance porch, leading through to the staircase and up into the house.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_5.jpg)
Inside, the lower level of the house is divided up into different living areas. A concrete kitchen counter runs along one side, while a dining table is positioned centrally and the front end is a living room with partitioning glass screens.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_6.jpg)
A second staircase leads up to an attic floor, where exposed timber ceiling beams frame a pair of bedrooms.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_7.jpg)
Ninkipen! previously designed a house made up of a set of rectangular volumes. Other projects by the studio include a bakery in Osaka and a clothing shop with fake doors.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_8.jpg)
See more design by Ninkipen! »
See more houses in Japan »
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_9.jpg)
Photography is by Hiroki Kawata.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_10.jpg)
Here's a project description from the architect:
This is a house for a family of four in Ikoma city.
The site had been divided into two levels with a retaining wall, and vehicle access was to the lower level only. We removed the wall, connecting the two levels with a gentle slope, and floated the house above it.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_11.jpg)
By elevating the house on piloti we created good views and an all weather outdoor space which is also a children's playground and the entrance porch.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_12.jpg)
The window rail on the second floor is cantilevered to allow wind flow inside. The kitchen counter is a thin concrete slab on a timber frame and maybe it is suitable to call it just a flower stand.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_13.jpg)
The third floor is a cramped but has free flowing atmosphere like an attic. Children are running around these three floors now.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_15.jpg)
We hope that this family of four can have a house for their family in the wake of the 3.11 earthquake and live comfortably in their own way.
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_16.jpg)
Project name: 4n
Architect: Yasuo Imazu / ninkipen!
Structural engineer: Masaichi Taguchi / TAPS
Contractor: Kimura Koumuten
![4n house by Ninkipen!](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/07/dezeen_4n-by-Ninkipen_17.jpg)
Use: house
Location: Ikoma city, Nara
Completion: 2013.3
Total floor area: 118.98m2