ORDOS 100 #9: Sou Fujimoto

Jan 2009

By Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses , China, Garden, Ordos 100, Sou Fujimoto

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This villa is located in plot #70 of the ORDOS project.

Architects: Sou Fujimoto Architects
Location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
Design year: 2008
Construction year: 2009
Curator: Ai Weiwei, Beijing, China
Client: Jiang Yuan Water Engineering Ltd, Inner Mongolia, China
Constructed Area: 1,000 sqm aprox

I propose a primordial place to live before a notional ‘house’ became a ‘house;’ when it was uncongealed to be all at once a house, a city, a garden, a forest, a prairie, the natural and the artificial. It is analogous to the ruins of ancient cities, to the natural landscapes, to the network of neural activities in a stimulated mind, and to the structure of the Universe.

Not an Object, but a Field of Relationships

A house is not an object.

A house is the totality of frequencies registered as a place of living before differentiating into a house, a city, a garden, a forest, and a prairie.

The masterplan, a collection of demarcated plots and residential volumes, was reinterpreted as a nebulous field of interrelationships similar to a weather chart. Instead of “one object per one plot,” various spatial gradations begin to emerge within the plot. Surrounding contexts and complexities of their reciprocal influence are given a form. I speculate a condition in between architecture and landscape, exteriority and interiority.

Telescopic Vessel by Walls of Voids

To be a house and to be a garden, to be open and to be closed, interiorized exterior, exteriorized interior, continuity and discontinuity, domesticity and urbanity. To be natural and to be artificial; to produce a place that incorporates these discrepant antinomies, I propose a telescopic vessel by walls of voids.

Throughout the plot, the walls are positioned like a spiral. However, these simultaneously are not walls. These are walls of voids with countless openings. Space fluctuates with the openings’ sizes, forming spaces that manifest the gradations within the plot envisioned as a field of relationships.

Between those walls, various rooms and gardens intermingle as they fuse into one another. The feeling of a large expanse coupled with the feel of a comfortable shelter, results in a scale that transforms with use and creates rich depths by multiplicity of inside and outside. This also generates diverse relationships with the surrounding environ as it is simultaneously opened and closed.

: model

: situation plan

: first floor plan

: second floor plan

: sections + elevation

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "ORDOS 100 #9: Sou Fujimoto" 12 Jan 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 09 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/10986>

Comments (37)
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Links to this entry (5)

roadkill says:

not a project, but a waste of time!

# January 12, 2009 at 15:39

nomad says:

beautiful execution of his stance on architecture however I question its functionality with extreme weather conditions. Would like to see less conceptual drawings and some more detail drawings to see if these spaces act like ‘air gaps’ for insulation or that they are truely open

# January 12, 2009 at 16:37

odris says:

robin hood’s houses

# January 12, 2009 at 18:01

Contemporary Art says:

A gorgeous structure! This looks incredibly beautiful. What will the roofing be made out of? More details would definitely be interesting. But this is very tantalizing.
–
http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com

# January 12, 2009 at 19:17

João says:

What roof???
There´s no roof!

# October 1, 2009 at 09:50

Hamster says:

Where is the house???

# January 12, 2009 at 22:16

No…just Kidding.
I like very much the idea and the proportions of the proyect…the walls look monumental!

# January 12, 2009 at 22:33

xing says:

to think and work out of box, focusing on its relationship, the soul and so-called space senseness is the typical Japanese architecture thinking. However,for this extreme and specific location, it is just an different offer. not a well-fit idea, regardless to say its habitation comfort. In addition, this is a commerical compelx and need to be sold eventually, i hope the architect kept this in his/her mind.

# January 13, 2009 at 00:26

architect student says:

this project really doesnt seem to have any cohesion. the visuals although good, do not show anything!? a bit more research would have helped… how do the spaces interact… need more drawings

# January 13, 2009 at 08:01

claudia says:

If you would have looked closely…..you would have seen what this project means. Sou Fujimoto is a great architect, and the concept of this house in incredible, it brings the outside spirit and light to the interior. And the room, and dining, and so on, are very well thought. So, you should think again before sayin that this house doesn’t have any cogesion… :)

# December 7, 2010 at 16:31

cohesion*, sorry

# December 7, 2010 at 16:36

pedja says:

F A N T A S T I C ! ! !

# January 13, 2009 at 08:04

Zsolesz says:

Kibaszott jo!

# January 13, 2009 at 08:45

Richie says:

This is very interesting as a truly experimental type of house but the presentation makes it difficult to visualise how it would actually work in practice, or how it would feel to be in those spaces – more images would be helpful..

# January 13, 2009 at 10:52

Gorgos says:

Agreed, its difficult to see the different relations at materialization. At first glance it reminds me of the `les cols` pavilions of RCR architects.

# October 24, 2009 at 13:09

Maria-Louiza Laopodi says:

I like the “robin hood” air to this project. I would also like to see some details on the way it will be constructed. Generally the concept about space is well thought. I wonder how circulation would work.

# January 13, 2009 at 13:44

musser says:

Completely thoughtful.

# January 13, 2009 at 18:07

claude.mallia says:

my wife would need a gps to find my lost son!
quit on ORDOS please.

# January 14, 2009 at 07:04

the says:

Sou Fujimoto produces some of the most innovative architecture today. we’ll see a lot of him soon

# January 14, 2009 at 07:12

Bender says:

I’m a self aware comment.

# January 14, 2009 at 08:11

Rocket Valentino says:

Sou Fucking Fabulous! I totally agree that the material shown is pretty thin, but didn’t they have only 100 days on these projects? I can’t wait to see this universe materialise.

Reminds me of both House N and the Center for mentally disturbed children.

# January 14, 2009 at 11:17

hector says:

Beautiful, mindful, the best project for Ordos.

# January 15, 2009 at 18:02

Jules Andre Brown . Com says:

Awesome.

Really Cool – Thank you for this. A glass roof would be awesome.

# January 18, 2009 at 16:13

Nom_de_Guerre says:

Sou Fujimoto is the best young architect working today.

Seriously, check out his work.

# January 21, 2009 at 12:17

that´s a BIT exaggerated

# October 1, 2009 at 09:55

jemz says:

OH MY GOLD!

# February 14, 2009 at 07:50

momotalo says:

poetic mindful project, very interesting.
and a good client.

# February 19, 2009 at 21:25

fengjun says:

I like his idea! I went to the city where these projects are,it’s a good way to make this walls to react bad situation.
I think it will be very nice if have a taller tower so can see faraway.

# March 13, 2009 at 08:15

Ugaitz says:

Its like… labyrinth… …I love it!

# April 8, 2009 at 11:02

Lawrence says:

Nice project, however looks like House N taken too far, I mean its a house and needs at least some enclosed spaces, plus the site is in the dessert, can the beautiful qualities show on the model be ever realised? this is very questionable.

# July 15, 2009 at 09:36

Cleven says:

all he can do is planting trees

# September 26, 2009 at 07:41

victor m sosa says:

This project is an excellent example of an open structure, which addresses the concept of the house of a symbolic form.

# September 28, 2009 at 09:16

Jannette says:

Parallax Architecture Conference 2009

Bjarke Ingels “How the f*** did you convince your client to build something like that?”
Sou Fujimoto “………… My client is my wife’s mother……..”
Bjarke Ingels “………”

# October 1, 2009 at 09:13

Ill says:

wouldn’t it be funny for this project which would indeed “replicate the structure of the Universe” too look completely ridiculous in a couple of years – like the japanese deconstructivists or something….

# October 18, 2009 at 11:46

Wonseok Chae says:

The 3d image and 2d plan drawing do not match but I think the plan drawing looks like more real project. And if it does, I think it will be quite cool, if I were in the middle of linear walls, reading and sleeping. but it seems to be little bit far from common houses.

# October 24, 2009 at 12:30

SUNGMIN LEE says: