Everybody Finds Somebody Someplace / htmn

Posted on junio 17, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

Everybody Finds Somebody Someplace / htmn © Daici Ano

Architects: htmn
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo
Architect In Charge: Hiroaki Takada, Nakahata Masayuki
Structure Design: Ryo Kuwako, Kuwako
Area: 3,980 sqm
Year: 2012
Photographs: Daici Ano, Courtesy of htmn

Overview of the site

Many buildings stand side by side in the shopping district near the train station. There were many partitioned tenement-houses in this area, but currently rebuilding has been proceeding. There is a platform of the conventional lines on the north side of the site. And there is a municipal road that is parallel to the line on the south side of the site. This is a narrow site is surrounded by buildings which was built to site boundary close, on the east and west side. We designed the building in this narrow site.

Behavior of the architecture

The floor area of the building is small, and so we came up with various ideas to make it more spacious than actual area. The closed space, it is necessary to actively open to the outside in order to obtain an extension. We have planned to go through the line of sight towards the upward in a positive manner, because the north and south direction has a void on the upper side. The activities inside the building are opened to the road on the south side, and it will be integrated with the landscape of the region. By placing the terrace on the third and fourth floors, we have planned to get a sense of openness while blocking gently to the line of sight from the station platform on the north side. You can view the sky through the building, which means we have contributed to the reduction of the oppressive feeling of the volume against the surroundings.

Intertwined extension

The second floor (office room A) and the third floor (office room C) has been connected by an atrium, and the same applies to the second floor (office room B) and the fourth floor (office room D). Each of these rooms is related with a suitable distance. The office portion has been composed of two volumes that led to the gradual multi-layer floor. The two volumes have been intertwined. By contiguous space and segmented space, you can perceive that the multiple locations are scattered while staying in one place. We have planned for multiple line of flow to pass between the volume, outside the corridor on the second floor and middle of a spiral staircase. The room and the room, the volume and the volume, the line of flow and the line of flow, by these has been intertwined intricately, the space attains expanse over the actual area.

Adjustable

The rental office must be able to use to adjustable in response to a variety of applications.The portion of the office can be rented together or divided into two. Even if the case, the volume provides a expressive spaces because it is composed of layers floor.

Sustainability

We plan to make Piping efficient, by integrating plumbing into the second floor. The client requested to maximize the first floor and floor area ratio. And the outer wall has been forced to close at hand the site boundary. Because buildings has built to site boundary close, on the east and west side, the maintenance of the outer wall is difficult after completion. Then the outer wall has adopted a weatherproof building material. And a part of the outer walls were set-backed for maintenance.

Everybody Finds Somebody Someplace / htmn originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 17 Jun 2013.

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Residence of Daisen / Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design

Posted on junio 17, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

Residence of Daisen / Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design © Koji Fujii - Nacasa＆Partners

Architects: Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design
Location: Daisen, Yonago City, Tottori, Japan
Year: 2011
Photographs: Koji Fujii – Nacasa＆Partners

This is a guest house located in the forest of Daisen piedmont, Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture. The house site is situated in the midst of abundant cherry and pine trees, standing at natural well-balanced intervals with trunks reaching towards the sky with bountiful leaves. The figures of the trees are beautiful. They are the legitimate habitants of the forest.

Sensitive dialogue with the site is requisite to building a house that lies in coexistence with nature. Our building plan was drafted according to this idea.

We arranged the house with most surrounding trees untouched and ensured the living space in the aperture to a maximum extent. A style coexisting with the forest is the keystone of our design, so we carefully surveyed and analyzed the lot for building, and designed a way to connect each function space of the house by short connecting passages. Differently-pitched roofs snuggling up to the extension of branches and foliage made it possible to take in sunlight effectively.

In Daisen we have almost two meters of snowfall in winter, so we adopted a piloti style with living spaces on the second floor in order to allow ample cross-breeze, while also reducing moisture and heat rising from the ground in summer. These considerations made it possible to maintain comfortable living conditions in all seasons.

The forms and colors of the forest seen from each room are as deep as the eye can see. Bright (red), tangible (white), obscure (blue), dark (black)—we may call them the colors of the day. The changing seasons create a bountiful, colorful composition! How satisfying is the abundance of passing time that the forest beats when living in this house!

Even after the house completes its life in the future, the forest around it would continue on. Finally, our primary endeavor, Coexisting with the forest, would be fulfilled.

Residence of Daisen / Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 17 Jun 2013.

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Peanuts / Uid Architects

Posted on junio 16, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

Peanuts / Uid Architects Courtesy of Uid Architects

Architects: Uid Architects
Location: Hiroshima,Japan
Architect In Charge: Keisuke Maeda
Area: 11,874 sqm
Year: 2012
Photographs: Courtesy of Uid Architects

Structural Engineers : Yasutaka Konishi, Takeshi Kaneko
General Contractor: Home Co. Ltd

One circle is the completed form because it has strongcentripetal characteristics. However, overlapping two circles changes the form that has various vectors and is not centripetal. It is that it becomes the space that does not prescribe the domain as various places to stay, and it is connected to the environment gently. I expect that babies bring up sensitivity in this architecture because “Peanut” is not completed form by the same token and is a plant bearing fruit in soil.

Because I think that contact with nature becomes ”the place” of upbringing, so contact with nature becomes a pleasure.

Specifically, the babies’ space has the incline such as the gentle topography, they enjoy feeling “sunshine filtering through foliage,” “side fluctuation,” “creature in nature,” “fragrant in season,” and “the rainy sound” etc. in the environment such as the forest among the trees.

And semi-outdoor space having some slants and excursion characteristics surround a baby room has variety: a place of the exploration for children and “a gallery of the forest” can relax for pregnant women and mother.

I value confidence to join each other together from the relations of the eye level.

Specifically, I adopted one-room style while I zoned administrative parts (formula room, balneum bathroom and office room) and babies’ room and gallery definitely. The glance of a childcare person and the baby becomes near, and security occurs by making desk height in the administration the same as the height of the floor of the babies’ room. In addition, judging from the glance of “learning from see” between babies, it becomes the natural relations. I intend to raise functionality by being able to look around the whole room on administrative side. I create rich environment by joining together for equivalent relations with babies and childminders / building and nature / person and natural environment.

Peanuts / Uid Architects originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 16 Jun 2013.

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FLAT 40 / Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design

Posted on junio 14, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

FLAT 40 / Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design © Takahiro Shimokawa

Architects: Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design
Location: Imabari City, Japan
Year: 2013
Photographs: Takahiro Shimokawa, Toru Kitamura

Imabari City, located in northeast Ehime Prefecture, is connected to Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture by way of the Shimanami Kaido, an expressway that spans across six islands over the Seto Inland Sea. Imabari City is well-known for its picturesque sea view, called tatoubi, of the Setonaikai National Park. Due to the surrounding calm seas, Imabari has developed into one of the biggest industrial shipping ports in Japan, and is also famous for its towel industry.

This private residence was built in downtown Imabari for a family of four. The property is elongated westward from a road on its east, with a spacious yard to the north along a waterway. A seven-story apartment building towers on the south side of the property. The concern was how to block the line of vision from the apartment building and maintain privacy, while ensuring ample light and ventilation. In order to meet these requirements we designed a 40 meter concrete screen wall along the south side of the residence. Precise calculations were done for its size and structure.

The structural feature we adopted is ukikabe, a floating screen wall, which is suspended above the ground 1.5 meters away from the exterior of the residence. An important feature is that it is a concrete wall. The purpose in choosing such heavy material was that it was imperative the wall rest in balance with the building architecturally. The one-story design was realized in consideration of the structural requirements of the wall and the habitability of the house.

The ukikabe solves a number of issues. It successfully obstructs the view from any floor of the neighboring apartment building, yet from inside the residence, one can see the feet of those approaching the property. It allows ample light and ventilation while ensuring privacy and security, creating an ideal living environment. In terms of weight, ukikabe is well balanced to the main body of the house, and also provides a screen for the air-conditioning unit. With aesthetics in mind, the entire exterior surface is solid white, softly capturing the changing colors of the sky from daylight to twilight. At night, exterior and interior lights spill through the space between the house and the wall to add another flavor. The wall serves as a screen to reflect the passage of time.

Indoor rooms are set up based on the ukikabe. The elongated building that stretches east to west was divided in to north and south with the use of skip floors. By incorporating large scale multipurpose storage spaces, the residence is designed for simple living. While still retaining their function, the interior walls are lowered to avoid visual interruption. A wood-grained ceiling is used uniformly throughout the house.

One can enjoy an expansive view from the living and dining rooms on the upper skip floor through an uninterrupted glass wall spanning the patio to the swimming pool on the north side of the property. This in combination with the audio room located to the north east provides rich living pleasure.

One encounters unobstructed views not only through the spacious glass walls but also from various places throughout the house. Light-weight roofing is used to safeguard from earthquakes. From any point inside, one can glimpse the tops of trees through higher sashes, with the sky seen beyond. Soft, dancing light produces ever-changing seasonal views. The silhouette of rustling leaves and evening’s amber shades on the walls are picturesque, while the distilled light of night paints another mood.

The house is divided by an indoor corridor, somewhat like an alley that extends east to west, cutting through the patio. It not only gives beauty in depth, helps divide living spaces, but also functions as a wind passage. The wind coming from under the ukikabe flows refreshingly through this corridor, producing a gentle alley breeze.

This residence was completed in the spring. Occasionally flower petals flutter from the peach tree in the patio. When enjoying their beauty a pleasant breeze enters the rooms. One senses spring in the house. Visual beauty matters, but a comfort felt with eyes closed is superior to all. An outside that exists inside, an interior that evolves with the outdoor. We have contemplated deeply on this concept and engaged in its creation.

FLAT 40 / Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 14 Jun 2013.

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The Future of Train Travel: Life in Hyper-Speed

Posted on junio 13, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

The Future of Train Travel: Life in Hyper-Speed Maglev Prototype

Japan, inventor of the world’s first bullet train, recently unveiled plans for an even faster and more radical train model: a floating train, powered by magnets, that will travel 100 mph faster than current bullet trains (about 300 mph). The Maglev train, standing for “magnetic levitation,” will run between Tokyo and Osaka, an estimated distance of 315 miles, at a cost $64 billion. It is to be completed by 2045.

High-speed rail has already revolutionized national and international transportation in many parts of the world and now it’s transitioning into hyper-speed. Last year, we reported that Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and co-founder of both PayPal and Tesla Motors, shared with the public his desire to patent a new mode of transportation – the “Hyperloop” that would get passengers from San Francisco to LA in only 30 minutes.

So what might the future hold for train travel? And, more importantly, how will it affect our cities and the people who live in them?

For more on the Maglev train and the future of rail, read on.

The “Hyperloop” would, according to Musk, “never crash, be immune to weather, go twice as fast as an airplane, four times as fast as a bullet train, and – to top it off – run completely on solar power.” While this sounds like a too-good-to-be-true idea straight out of a science fiction novel, our friends at Business Insider believe that there’s no reason the Hyperloop couldn’t become reality with enough political and financial backing – but that’s quite the caveat.

In fact, magnetic levitation technology in trains has been tossed around in the scientific community – and even proposed as an alternative to air travel – for decades.

In 1972, physicist R.M. Salter detailed an underground tube system that could transport people from Los Angeles to New York City in a mind-boggling 21 minutes. The Very High Speed Transit System (VHST) would consist of “electromagnetically levitated and propelled cars in an evacuated tunnel” underground that would function as a sealed vacuum and zip back and forth across the country – at about 14,000 miles per hour.

Not only would the VHST’s travel time between LA and NYC be 5 hours shorter than a plane’s, its tunnel component would also eliminate possibilities of sabotage, right of way costs, surface congestion, grade separation problems, and noise pollution.

So if scientists were already thinking in hyper-speed in 1972, why has it taken so long for the technology to become a reality?

Salter blamed political issues. He wrote, “History has shown that some obvious projects, such as tunneling under the English Channel proposed in the time of Napoleon, can be delayed for centuries because of political pressures” – and, of course, money.

Although President Obama proposed his vision for high-speed rail in the US back in 2009, transport infrastructure here in the States is only lagging further and further behind countries like Japan, who have now officially entered hyper-speed mode. High-speed rail is moving forward in the state of California, but seemingly nowhere else. No matter how compelling the idea, a project of this magnitude demands full political and financial support to succeed.

So, although the likelihood that hyper-speed could soon become the new means of travel sounds unlikely, it still offers lots for the imagination. High-speed and hyper-speed rail has the very real capability of bringing cities together like never before. What’s more, it would necessitate a whole new kind of infrastructure to support it. What would such a hyper-speed station look like? How would it affect other types of transportation, or change the face of our cities? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

References: Co.EXIST, Business Insider, The Asahi Shimbun, Archdaily (1, 2)

The Future of Train Travel: Life in Hyper-Speed originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 13 Jun 2013.

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Geo Metria / Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Posted on junio 12, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

Architects: Mount Fuji Architects Studio
Location: Kanagawa, Japan
Area: 123.95 sqm
Year: 2011
Photographs: Kenichi Suzuki

Site Area: 429.40 sqm
Building Area: 123.95 sqm
Structure: Wood frame, partly reinforced concrete

On the crest of Hakone´s mountain range along the Odawara plain is a site.It´s sunny rolling hillside was once planted with fruit trees.

On the south side you have a clear view of the distant Sagami Bay, north of the site a mountain gives shelter from the north wind. Deciduous broad-leaved trees cast soothing shadow in summer, in winter they shed their leaves and allow weak sunlight to warm up the moist mountain soil.

The perfect living environment was there, waiting quietly to be found.Rather than bringing a new priciple that is not derived from the land in order to complete a normal“ house, a place of habitability should be established here.

My mission as an architect is to draw out the latent “habitability” of the land, adjust and amplify it, so that it provides just enough for a man to live.In short, we aimed to construct an architecture completely organized by the land.

The resolution is to reduce the designing step and leave only fundamental constructive factors, setting frames and building a roof, then we “listen to the land” and make a decision.

Two sets of portal frames (about 12m in length) are combined in an angle to fit the slight curve of the place and form a rack assembly with truss structure at the center. The material used as frame is laminated veneer lumber (38 x 286mm). The thin structure is being achieved by efficiently distributing horizontal force on weak axes to the back core through a ridge-jointed truss underneath the ceiling (The cross points in the middle part prevent a deflection of the 6-meter-long beams).

These fin-like columns with shelf plates also play a role of semi-transparent partition that separates the space loosely.  Each beams slant is in a northward direction to support the roof that has enough pitch to handle the rainy weather and differentiate the ceiling height. Together with the tilted ground, this gives the spatial “variation” that complex life requires.

As you see, the features of this site (geomorphic characteristics, amount of rain) add a special “geometry” to this architecture. It determines the structure and the resulting dwelling space and brings harmony amongst them.

If you, as the origin of the word indicates, decide the order of an architecture (=geometry) by taking a close survey (=metria) of the land (=geo), the consequent architecture will have clear order while retaining the continuity of the land.

“Observing the site closely and finding its hidden geometry.”  That accounts for almost all of our design works and, is essence of it.

Geo Metria / Mount Fuji Architects Studio originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 11 Jun 2013.

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House M / Keiko Maita Architect

Posted on junio 9, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

Architects: Keiko Maita Architect
Location: Shunan, Japan
Architect In Charge: Keiko Maita
Area: 107 sqm
Year: 2010
Photographs: Yoshiharu Matsumura

House M is located in a rural area surrounded by mountains in Yamaguchi-Prefecture, Japan.

The clients, a couple who used to work long hours in the busy city, wanted a quiet house in the nature in relation to the rhythm of the sun.

This small house (100m2) was designed so that the clients would be able to wake up every morning and enjoy the soft light of the rising sun. The exterior walls of the house are made of a semi translucent tent material which allows the sun to penetrate softly inside the house. The exterior skin protects the house from the rain, the direct sunlight and also acts as an insulation barrier. The construction of the house is simple and is made of a traditional wood frame structure. In the night, the interior light glows outside like a graceful lantern in the landscape.

House M / Keiko Maita Architect originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 09 Jun 2013.

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House in Takamatsu / Yasunari Tsukada Design

Posted on junio 8, 2013 by :: noticias arquitectura ::

Architects: Yasunari Tsukada Design
Location: Kagawa, Japan
Architect In Charge: Yasunari Tsukada Design
Contractor: Shikoku Housing
Year: 2012
Photographs: Stirling Elmendorf

Our client was initially inclined to build a new house. After much consideration, however, he decided to partly renovate his three-storey family house, and use it as a residence for a two-generation family.

The client requested a home where he could feel the presence of his family throughout the building, while at the same time having the calm and relaxing sensation of being in a private room. By enveloping each room with a sloping ceiling to make use of the existing building, we wondered if we could create an ambiguously defined space that would feel as if it had been partitioned, while still maintaining a sense of coherence and unity.

The components that make up each individual room are gate-like walls, which consist mainly of openings. The roof gradient and heights of the sash windows were determined in accordance with the original height of the living room, which was 2400mm. The heights of the walls also took their cue from this figure, and were set at 2400mm. Although it seems as if this height has been deployed with excessive frequency within the space, doing away with ceilings for the individual rooms while covering them with a single, sloping ceiling and installing windows at a number of positions along the walls allowed us to create a sort of landscape that presented a very different face to the familiar surroundings. Each space also contains two or more windows or openings, giving rise to a multilayered space with no sense of hierarchy within it.

The renovation process involves thinking about how we can devise new spaces while respecting a given set of conditions imposed by the existing building, as well as the client’s requirements. The glass blocks from the large staircase and stairwell were transformed into a part of the living room and the reading space, while the innocuous reinforced concrete wall that originally supported the staircase was given a new lease of life as the wall that one notices most of all on a daily basis. For our client, this space helped to give things and objects new meanings, and became invested with new stories and narratives – a process that prompted him to rethink the possibilities of design through renovation.