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Architects: Miyahara Architect Office
- Area: 105 m²
- Year: 2008
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Photographs:Teruo Miyahara
Text description provided by the architects. House Sz is a residence designed for a couple in their thirties. The goal was to provide a living environment with a rich atmosphere that is open, inwards and out, through the implementation of two different courtyards.
With four walls set at necessary intervals, the residence is divided into three major zones – private, public, and “plus alpha” zones –and each of these zones is segmented into individual spaces and functions using two courtyards and glass walls. The private zone is divided into the main bedroom, bathroom, courtyard, and hobby room, with the courtyard serving as a buffer to maintainprivacy. The public zone is comprised of the main room, courtyard, and garage, and extends across the front road to the foliage of the park. Here, the courtyard serves as an instrument to open the residence towards the surroundings. Meanwhile, the plus alpha zone through the centre of the residence, besides being the core circulation route that connects all the spaces, serves as a gallery with 30-metre wall space. The floor is laid with concrete slabs and coated with a glossy protective layer, giving the space a special ambience. It is as if it’s a mysterious cave that leads on and on, or a passage in Paris that guides people to new discoveries. Thus, we named this the “passage gallery.”
Furthermore, the roofs of both the private and public zones slope down towards the inner courtyard, designed so that the rooms can enjoy as much sky as possible. In particular, for the view of the trees in the park to the west of the dining room and living room, the garage roof is careful designed so it is as thin and unobtrusive as possible to provide the best scenery.
The maple tree in the courtyard will provide different colours for each season, adding to the residents’ pleasure. So does the residence itself give pleasure? I hope that it is able to provide nearly as much happiness as nature can bring.
