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House in Kobe North

House in Kobe North

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House in Kobe North

Firm

Fujiwaramuro Architects

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2018

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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.

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House in Kobe North

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Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

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House in Kobe North

Other Projects by Fujiwaramuro Architects

Sunroom House in Tsukaguchi

Renovation in Suita

House in Kitabatake

Hokusetsu Polygon House

House in Machida

House in Kyobate

House in Tsurumi-ku

House in Kosai

House in Fujiidera

House in Okamoto

House in Minami-Senri

House in Koshien

Rokko Condominium Renovation

House in SouthMinoh

Iron Tea Room

House in Abeno

House in Sakai

KKDC Japan

House in Shukugawa

House in Uehonmachi

House in Kobe North

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team