Loop Terrace
This is a small, private house in a dense urban neighborhood. Like a valley, the site is surrounded by buildings on all four sides; the client wanted to build a house that would bring about, even if modestly, a sense of peace and fulfillment between the inside and outside.
When I contemplated the rich and mature relationship between the inside and outside in our country’s cultural climate, the first example that came to mind was Katsura Imperia Villa (referred to as Katsura). The design of this small house began from my process of looking deeper into the Katsura in my own way.
As I studied the inside/outside relationship as evident in the design of Katsura, I rediscovered various elements that lead to its sense of pleasantness. The following is a rough list of my own findings:
・Due to the flying geese pattern plan, the inside has a multifocal relationship to outside. This makes it possible for the scenery to rearrange itself with even a small shift in position, creating diverse relationships.
・Furthermore, this flying geese pattern plan simultaneously achieves to retain the elevations that directly face the outside, while also gently dividing and continuing the interior spaces with a sense of rhythmical flow and assembly.
・By building a detached house on the residential premises, it and the main house respectively create unique sceneries for one another. These elements also bring focus to the spaces beyond the outdoors, expanding the spatial depth in one’s perception.
・Eaves are adjusted according to the indoor functionalities and the direction it faces, mediating as a buffer between the inside and outside.
I contemplated on ways to implement this knowledge－which I had extracted from the Katsura which also has a grand garden－in the small and dense urban “valley.” I thought that, if I cut into the Katsura’s plan and rotate it so that it encloses into a circle, perhaps I could “fold up” the inside/outside spatial relationship into a compact version.
This resulted in a new form in which a shallow, engawa(veranda)-like space that connects and supports the rich inside/outside relationships extend in a three-dimensional circle, looping around as an en-gawa(loop terrace).
I would be very pleased if, through this project, I was able to demonstrate new possibilities for an urban house based on the uniquely rich and fertile inside/outside relationships of our country.
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