Japanese firm Apollo & Associates Architects has completed a home in Sendai, Japan, with a balcony that overhangs the patio half closed and half on the outside path.
Called edge, the house is in a corner plot in a busy area.
Another distinctive feature of the house was the elegant and light impression created by the sharp profile of the eaves and walls of small, individual sleeve-like the right building - both designed to alleviate the weight of concrete.
A central courtyard in front of the driveway on the first floor, while another patio that abuts the south side of the room also connects to the outdoor terrace, it creates a sense of continuity with the proposed space tatami floored. The use of exposed concrete interior walls and ceilings give the impression of a shiny, hard black on the white facade, creating a contrast between inside and outside the home.
The living areas open to the patio, with a Japanese-style room, storage and a smaller patio in the back of the house all ready on the ground floor.
The specific measures of lead from the courtyard walls to a terrace on the first floor where the bedrooms.
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Located on the outskirts of Sendai, the site for this project was in the vicinity of two existing residential buildings designed by other architects. This house was designed taking into account how they blend harmoniously into the environment. The building's facade was covered with concrete to provide people with a sense of privacy and to ensure that signs of life inside the house were not visible from the outside.
The outer walls of reinforced concrete building, with exterior insulation because of cold weather in the north, also coated with a photocatalyst that gave them a white sheen.
Climbing the stairs to the second floor while looking at the maple trees in the central courtyard, a bedroom is in sight. Going up another short flight of stairs leading to the children's room, a bathroom and a spacious balcony.
By creating many intermediate areas which are situated inside and outside the house - the roof and a balcony that offer opportunities for gardening, for example - people can enjoy their living environment throughout the building.
Besides being a carefully considered response to the sites you see a good amount of foot traffic, the courtyard house type is also implemented in residential architecture as a way to create a permanent sanctuary of nature in an urbanizing area.
Photos are by Masao Nishikawa.
Photos are by Masao Nishikawa.
