The Porsche 911 is a thing of beauty: Designed in 1959 by “Butzi” Porsche himself, its clean lines and German engineered guts have turned it into a much-obsessed-over classic. To wit: this Osaka townhome designed by Kenji Yanagawa Architects, for a client with an unusual request — that the entire structure be oriented around the garage. The garage, you see, holds his classic silver 911.
To accomodate the client’s brief, Yanagawa designed a building that showcases the piece of the home most architects go to great expense to hide. The structure is based on a simple grid of white steel columns, organised around an open-air staircase leading up from the entrance to the garage. That way, the 911 is visible from almost every angle: the back wall is plated in glass, leading to the client’s sound studio. The ceiling is gridded with glass, too. The workspace, which opens out onto the garage, has the best view.
Perhaps the most important function of the steel frame home? Its ability to withstand strong seismic forces, protecting the car during earthquakes. Oh, and the humans too.