New Kyoto House. ALPHAville

The most characteristic feature of this house is the polyhedral form of the partitions. They are not done by intuition, but are based on logical concepts and perform multiple functions.

First, the walls, usually extended in the vertical and horizontal, has multiple dimensions and loosely connect the rooms of the three floors.

Facets are divided wood paneling on the inside of this house in Kyoto, Japan, by Alphaville architects.



They melt in floors and ceilings, finished walls of plywood, provide pleasurable experiences of play and passing.

Freed from the constraints of the old system, the occupants may have different relationships with each other and the place, and emerges a new lifestyle in the historic district of Kyoto.







The whole house is a machine for living, such as playground equipment.

Influence in Asia

Due to regulations of the landscape and the physical context of the neighborhood, who inherited the traditional form and composition of households. But at the same time, this house to overcome the negative aspects of houses.

The wooden structure houses can not afford to have large openings on the short sides of the building and floors. Consequently, the interior is dark and communications from individuals are limited to the horizontal direction.

In this project, rigid steel structure and polyhedral partitions that can overcome the drawbacks of the traditional houses. The large openings in walls and floors, with partitions, allowing natural light to diffuse multidirectionally and encourage three dimensional communications and movements.

Finally, partitions blur the boundary between architecture and furniture to encourage the perception and behavior.

The steel structure allows an open interior where all floors are visually linked.

The space created is a permanent room with dynamic nuances, is both large and heterogeneous.

Second, the walls serve as natural light reflectors.

They gently reflect the natural light coming from the north and south and bring the otherwise dark interior of the building.

Photos are by Kei Sugino and K. Takeguchi

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Charred Cedar House by naf architect & design

The site is located in a neighborhood where many breweries maintain the good old traditional Japanese way calcined gypsum walls and cedar wood.

In winter, the season of sake, a cloud of steam coming out of the red-brick chimneys of the brewery and the smell of love bursts in the air.

Fence are made of charred cedar. This is the treatment of  three sides of the struggle to maintain the privacy of a house adjacent to the east, north and south of the public parking area.

 West side of the house is adjoining to traditional road boundaries of old japanese houses and stores for beer with facades of white stucco. The house is open the way to blend into the scene, even if the trees can be planted in the future.

So the house is located between the modernity of today's urban traffic and a traditional Japanese tale.
Estructural works:

Steel-frame structure was used for first and second levels because these levels has a higher concentration of efforts. The third layer, by contrast, uses the method of wood frame construction that was developed from traditional Japanese.

Layer structure of first and second are characterized by the use of seamless steel • φ100 ㎜ ㎜ andφ60 φ140 The first layer of steel tubes for ㎜ second layer, which are oblique angles.

In Japan, earthquake country, the diameters of the pillars tend to be large to withstand the force of the earthquake and the installation of load-bearing walls support tends to be a common practice. The frame is calculated by assuming the enormous force of resistance of the earthquake that does not exist in everyday life. However, the columns of very small diameter can withstand the vertical and horizontal, at the same time when tilted and positioned correctly. When this formula is, the liquidation of a large force or the method of the conventional structure is in the air as naturally as the room above the trees.












































Planning:

The house consists of three layers of different types of space. Viewed from the road, the first layer is a black box, the second layer with thin steel columns drilling oblique empty space and the third level of random black box floating above the tympanum.

In the first layer, there is no Japanese input conventional take off their shoes, but a lobby paved with bricks of sand asphalt pad that leads directly to all the other rooms, master bedroom, hall bath mat, and spiral staircases to the upper layers. Entrance, tatami room and bedroom are separated by sliding doors, and when fully opened, the first layer becomes almost abroad. The bricks were paved mattress in the lobby to make a semi-outdoor / semi-domestic space in terms of materials and the nature of space that gradually leads to more private space.

From the hall, partly covered by translucent FRP ladder passes through the second layer of vacuum, and leads directly to the third level. Stairwell is covered with FRP in the second layer and the light can only be taken by the stairs. It acts as a "light well" during the day and diffuses the light to the first layer and the third.

In the third level living room, dining room and kitchen. On the floor there are two openings, one of the stairs to the first layer and the other on the second level, exclusive access to open space for the stairs. The third layer is the structure of wood beams and exposed wood, and all interlock groove. This is an enclosed space like the nests with a window to the north and south of the small round windows.

Down the stairs to the third level leads to a 360-degree view of the glass walls on the second layer, which is similar to that outdoors. There are many bungalows in the surrounding area and views of the second layer extends over a distance brewery tanks, town houses and brick chimneys. The second layer, open and transparent, is visibly accessible from the outside, but at least physically accessible and profound.

Each level of the house has varying degrees of accessibility development visible, physical and social environment from the outside that can not be measured simply by the composition of three layers. The complexity of relationships within the house offers many options for relations with the company.

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Edge. Apollo Architects ＆ Associates

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.

All our stories of the architects and Apollo Partners

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.

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