A - HOUSE

Skeleton and Filling

“A-HOUSE” has been built for a couple and a grandmother, following the owner’s request to design it inspired by the warehouse image.
Thinking about this typology, we first came to the notion of “skeleton” and “filling”, which constitute a key relationship for a warehouse design. After all, its purpose is to include a skeleton scaled with some requirement, eventually filled up in the most practical way. Still each of the entity exists independently. Accordingly, this concept will lead the principle of this project.
Designing the skeleton, we aimed to create a large space with some variability. The first and the second floor are included in one large frame of 6.5 meter in height. In the middle, a steel slab creates a hybrid structure, used as a mezzanine, and allows to increase or decrease its length depending on the family needs. A staircase is placed to keep a continuity of spaces.
The floor plan has a simple structure, distinct by the first and second floor dedicated to the couple and the third floor allocated to the grandmother. The living and the study area are connected in one room on the first floor faced by a steel sash with a height of 6m and a width of 3m which creates an open space in the continuity with the outside. The second floor is used for the dining kitchen and the bedroom. As for the third floor, it is built as a free plan. Both of the floors have an eased access thanks to an elevator.
The arrangement of each part has been designed to keep an independence between the skeleton (structure, floor, stairs) and the filling (furnitures, objects). This allows a certain freedom to “fill” the space with individual taste of furniture etc. The piping and functional equipment are kept exposed, embracing a functional aesthetic.
By rethinking how skeletons and infills interact, we hope to create an adaptable space that support various lifestyles.

Overview
Site area : 214.08㎡
Total floor area : 196.07㎡
1F：78.20㎡
2F：54.24㎡
3F：63.63㎡
Use : Row house (2 units) reinforced concrete, 3 stories above ground
Year (completion) : 2018
Architects : BE-FUN DESIGN + Hidamari Real Estate
Structure : Kozo Ando Structure Planning Office
Construction : Environmental Create Co., Ltd.
Photographs : Hiroyuki Hirai