An angular wall of uncovered concrete knowledgeable by origami wraps this courtyard dwelling in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, designed by native studio Atelier Gratia to be a “sanctuary” from the encircling metropolis.
Known as Star Home after the road on which it sits in a dense city space, the four-storey dwelling has been turned inwards, with a collection of balconies and terraces overlooking a lush courtyard backyard.
In an effort to preserve privateness, the house’s uncovered concrete facade is reduce by a single, angular opening, with a collection of small, carefully-placed home windows designed to seem like a constellation of stars on its northern elevation.
Organized in a tough U-shape, the amount of the constructing has been stored slim, maximising the scale of the courtyard and guaranteeing the entire inside is well-lit and ventilated.
“The massing of the home is a hybrid of two typologies: a row home and a courtyard home”, defined the follow. “The previous creates a dialogue with town whereas the latter establishes a sheltered sanctuary for its inhabitants.”
“The obvious paradox is resolved by a central courtyard and a collection of exterior patios that buffer between private and non-private zones.”
“With a wall slab structural system that eliminates all columns, each room has an unobstructed view to the courtyard, the place a mirrored image pond and a zen backyard reside,” it added.
Star Home’s three bedrooms have been elevated above its floor ground degree, which incorporates an workplace and tea room that open onto patios overlooking the central pond.
On the primary ground, a big residing space and eating area, each with devoted kitchen areas, sit on both facet of the courtyard and open onto balconies with glass balustrades.
A staircase on the house’s jap edge connects every degree. The interiors are seen by full-height home windows that have been designed to offer gentle and views to all areas.
“In distinction to its airtight exterior facades, the inside facades are utterly open to the inside courtyard with floor-to-ceiling glass,” stated the studio.
“The home is sort of a large sundial the place the passing time and altering seasons are famous by the ever-changing shadow play under the skylights,” it continued.
The constructing culminates in a backyard that wraps across the whole roof of the dwelling, contrasting the extra intimate courtyard views with expansive vistas of the encircling metropolis.
The uncovered concrete that defines the exterior facades is carried by into the house’s interiors, which have been completed with minimal furnishings and light-weight fittings and tile and marble bogs.
Different tasks just lately accomplished in Taiwan embody a group hub in Qifeng by Atelier Boter, and the extension and renovation of a cultural centre and library in Pingtung Metropolis by MAYU Architects.
The pictures is by Yi-Hsien Lee.
