House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Interior Photography, Wood, Shelving, BeamHouse in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Exterior Photography, FacadeHouse in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Image 4 of 24House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Interior Photography, Chair, BeamHouse in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - More Images+ 19

Kōbe, Japan
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  171
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2018
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Katsuya. Taira
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Hansgrohe, Beal International s.a./n.v., Thermal Engineering Corporation
House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Exterior Photography
© Katsuya. Taira

Text description provided by the architects. The client requested a combination of large, open spaces and small, cozier spaces for relaxing, delineated by elevation differences or niches. Because the client’s wife is disabled and uses an electric wheelchair, it was also essential to design a porous layout which enabled the residents to sense one another’s presence from any part of the house so that she could use it freely.

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Image 10 of 24
© Katsuya. Taira

Our concept was to link small and large spaces via ambiguous boundaries so that they could be experienced either as small or large depending on how the residents used them.

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Image 16 of 24
© Katsuya. Taira
House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Image 17 of 24
Floor plan
House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Interior Photography, Chair, Beam
© Katsuya. Taira

To actualize this concept, we felt it would be optimal to avoid conventional categories such as “living room” and “hallway,” and instead construct a collection of areas whose ambiguous divisions would enable them to be interpreted as either places to spend time or circulation routes.

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Interior Photography, Beam, Concrete, Column
© Katsuya. Taira

We began by roughly marking off the residence with a large main roof and walls. We then used enclosures constructed from doors, windows, cabinetry, glass and wood roofs and walls, and gabions to control the transmission or obstruction of light, sound, air, movement, and lines of sight, thereby defining the living space. 

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Interior Photography, Beam, Chair
© Katsuya. Taira
House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Image 23 of 24
Section B-B'
House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Image 13 of 24
© Katsuya. Taira

These enclosures block visibility from outside but ensure visibility from inside. They are designed to provide a sense that one is underneath the main roof no matter where in the living space one is, which leads to a reassuring feeling of being within a single large, interconnected space.

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Image 4 of 24
© Katsuya. Taira

At the same time, because the main roof is hoisted above the large concrete walls by exposed steel columns that reveal the sky in the gaps between roof and walls, the interior has an open, unrestricted feeling.

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Interior Photography, Wood, Shelving, Beam
© Katsuya. Taira

In order to suppress the characteristics of conventional spatial categories, we made each element of the residence as abstract as possible. This emphasized the materials that compose these elements, including concrete, steel, stainless steel, wood, plywood, glass, and stone. We used these materials in their raw state as interior finishes.

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Interior Photography, Windows, Bed, Beam
© Katsuya. Taira

As a result, the abstraction of the spaces and the physical presence of the materials set each other off, creating a residence that is both subdued and deeply atmospheric.

House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects - Exterior Photography
© Katsuya. Taira

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About this office
Cite: "House in Kobe North / FujiwaraMuro Architects" 27 May 2019. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/917766/house-in-kobe-north-fujiwaramuro-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© Katsuya. Taira

神户北小屋,打破传统空间划分方式 / 藤原室建筑设计事务所

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