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Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

teaserb-45-.jpg Architecture News - Dec 06, 2019 - 17:12   2300 views

Japanese architecture studio Fujiwaramuro Architects has designed a family house in central Takamatsu, Japan, this residence was designed as a private residence for a couple who have one child. 

Called House in Takamatsu, 132-square-metre house is an enclosed structure punctuated with thin linear lines to take daylight and ensure privacy in response to the client's brief. The house features a transparent built-in garage that looks at the living room.

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

"The client requested that the building occupy as much of the lot as possible, ensure privacy, have a built-in garage that showcased their car, and have a reinforced concrete structure with simple finishes rather than textured interiors featuring wood and other materials," said Fujiwaramuro Architects.  

"We responded with a proposal that placed the living-dining-kitchen area at the center of the lot with other spaces unfolding around it onto the entire property."

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Composed from four exterior walls, the building is fully enclosed structure, with a void located inside each of the four corners as well as another in the center of the building. 

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

These five voids have been designed to bring uniform light to the interior spaces, giving the living-dining-kitchen area a spacious, bright atmosphere despite its location on the first floor. 

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

The four corner voids incorporate the exterior environment into the building while maintaining privacy, creating an open-feeling space with strong connections to the outside world.

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

The architects used just four structural pillars to keep the interior spaces as simple as possible. The first and second story floors and walls as well as the roof are supported by cantilevers that extend horizontally from these columns. 

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

"Thanks to this arrangement, the exterior walls do not need to support the second floor or roof, which made possible the inclusion of long, thin slit windows that admit light from 360 degrees," added the architects. 

"This allows lines of sight to extend outside the building without compromising privacy."

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

The architects worked in a limited budget for this house. "The ground under the building is fairly soft and would have required extensive soil stabilization if an ordinary mat foundation were used," they added.

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

With the studio's design, however, piles were required only under the four posts, reducing the soil stabilization budget to one quarter of what it would have been for a mat foundation.

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Site plan

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

First floor plan

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Second floor plan

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Section A-A

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

Section B-B

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

East elevation

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

West elevation

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

South elevation

Fujiwaramuro Architects designs family house with thin skylights and transparent built-in garage

North elevation

Fujiwaramuro Architects, led by Shintaro Fujiwara and Yoshio Muro, won the WA Awards three times. Recently, Fujiwaramuro Architects won the WA Award in the 32nd Cycle with House In Kobe North.

Project facts

Use: residence
Family: husband, wife and 1 child
Location: Takamatsu city, Kagawa Pref., Japan
Site Area: 229.74 sqmt
Building Area: 131.68 sqmt
Total Floor Area: 203.90 sqmt

All images © Katsuya. Taira (studioREM)

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