House F / URBANWASABI

Curated by ArchDaily

Architects: URBANWASABI
Area: 280 m²
Year: 2014

Text description provided by the architects. Site

‘House F’ located in a lively downtown alley, surrounded by densely populated residential area in Tainan, a cultural city in southern Taiwan.This siteoriented north-south direction, while the building gets west exposure under tropical afternoon sun as a challenge, it also has a magnificent view of urban greenery and wide open view to the city as an advantage.

This building layout represented a stereotypical challenge of traditional single-family residence in Taiwan, on the ground floor functional staircase dominated the core of interior and caused issues on ventilation, lighting and disconnection between spaces.

With this challenge in mind, the team reprogrammed interior layout and enabled dwellers to flow though various sequential spaces and connected this living experience to surrounding urban fabric. This continuum formed a new sequential sense of dimension ad experience of home.

Concept_ Intertwined layers and partitions

During the process of renovation, we redefined concept of a wall. Derived from the idea of separating in and out, we used different materials or shapes as the medium/walls between spaces to create variations of depth and layers in space.

Aperture defined by these medium/walls leads each circulation movement though levels of transparencies, sometimes concrete, glass or sometimes even as an aperture on floor that guides dweller to explore this place with uninterrupted flow. These circulation arrangements not only connected each unique space to another, but also allowed dwellers to associate their environment to emotional state with every turn and view.

With purposefully intertwined program spaces like living room, kitchen, sundeck or attic, each dweller can either share or spare moments on their own. Here, “layer” to us, is a process of keep connecting and transforming among human, space and environment.

Air

Introducing breath of fresh air is one important task. After renovation, circulation of air flow has been significantly improved by reorganizing bath, sundeck and organic shaped rooms. The new layout allows each room to have ventilation windows for natural breeze from horizontal direction; the apertures between floors, also increases vertical aero dynamic and effectively refreshes air flow within the building.

Light

Additional two meters of space set a sequential setback from sundeck, staircase and a framing wall at the western facade, thisis build to resolve the problem of western exposure under tropical afternoon sun. This generous sundeck not only harvests sun and dries clothes effectively, but also lighten up the bathroom while keeping privacy and reduces humidity. It also made this meridional house to catch light from west side, turning the disadvantage of the western exposure as an advantage to improve lighting condition and microclimate of this building.

House F / URBANWASABI - Facade, Handrail — Courtesy of URBANWASABI

This renovation project is surrounded by highly populated residential area and open view of urban green.At the beginning, we discoveredexistingstructuralissues, and started design process to untangle structural requirements alone with architectural programming simultaneously. To provide an uninterrupted circulation, the center staircase was relocated and allowed generous, looped path to access second floor via original staircase.

On the 2nd floor, we utilized extended floor space to create western facing L-shape circulation, this configuration connected sun terrace, staircase and rooms. From the outside to inside, from the nostalgic metal facade to contemporary interior living space, users can experience various dimensions of space, multiply senses of this environment and become a part of this living experience of architecture.

This living architecturetakes inseasonalbreeze, filters light condition, frames urban landscape, absorbs elements of micro nature and penetrates into every aspectsof life .