House in Kobe North | Fujiwaramuro Architects

The client requested a combination of large, open spaces and small, cozier spaces for relaxing, delineated byelevation differences or niches. Because the client’s wife is disabled and uses an electric wheelchair, it wasalso essential to design a porous layout which enabled the residents to sense one another’s presence fromany part of the house so that she could use it freely. Our concept was to link small and large spaces viaambiguous boundaries so that they could be experienced either as small or large depending on how theresidents used them.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 tobe interpreted as either places to spend time or circulation routes. We began by roughly marking off theresidence 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.These enclosures block visibility from outside but ensure visibility from inside. They are designed to providea sense that one is underneath the main roof no matter where in the living space one is, which leads to areassuring feeling of being within a single large, interconnected space. At the same time, because the mainroof is hoisted above the large concrete walls by exposed steel columns that reveal the sky in the gapsbetween roof and walls, the interior has an open, unrestricted feeling.In order to suppress the characteristics of conventional spatial categories, we made each element of theresidence as abstract as possible. This emphasized the materials that compose these elements, includingconcrete, steel, stainless steel, wood, plywood, glass, and stone. We used these materials in their raw stateas interior finishes. As a result, the abstraction of the spaces and the physical presence of the materials seteach other off, creating a residence that is both subdued and de