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Architects: Khuon Studio
- Area: 136 m²
- Year: 2018
- Photographs: Hiroyuki Oki
Text description provided by the architects. This residence is situated on a spacious lot of 8 x 17 square meters. It is designed for a young woman and also for her immediate family, who frequently visit. It is the owners’ first priority that natural lighting and greenery be maximized within their home.
The house is divided into two zones. Reserved for the daughter, the back of the house consists of a connected bedroom and study that occupies two floors, while the front part of the house comprises bedrooms for her parents and brother. These areas are physically and visually linked by “bridges” and windows in order to facilitate family bonding.
In addition, open spaces for cooking, dining and getting together make up parts of the atria, which feature plenty of greenery. These common areas serve to strengthen relationships among family members once they are out of their rooms. Some corners of the house are rounded to carve out voids that blur the boundary between the atria and enhance the juxtaposition between the two floating architectural masses. This treatment also allows the skylights to flood the house, creating seamless lighting effects that would otherwise be interrupted by straight walls.
The west-facing façade is also exposed a large amount of solar radiation during the day. Air bricks are an effective solution to this problem as they provide solar shading and privacy yet allow natural ventilation and views. Reminiscent of the curved interior walls, the customized air brick consists of a curved concrete piece supporting a square frame. This air brick façade creates a light and shadow effect that changes throughout the day.
Working out the layout for this expansive footprint is a novel experience to KHUON Studio, as we specialize in small urban houses, for which we are used to making the most out of every square meter. To solve challenges posed by such a voluminous space, we carefully utilize natural lighting and greenery not only to fill the architectural voids inside the house but also to adorn the interior white walls of the skylights.
