Cheungvogl, a young international architectural practice based in Hong Kong (see previous projects by Cheungvogl featured on AD here), designed two residences in Tokyo on a private development. House 2a is to be occupied by the client, a Japanese-German couple, based in Tokyo while House 2b is for sale. The client’s required that the design be, “Calm, but not sterile. Humble, and yet unexpected. Economical, nothing extravagant. Open space with flexible floor plans and a space to contemplate.” Working with these ideas in mind, Cheungvogl created related residences that also become separate enities.
More about the residences and more images after the break.
Related through their shared implementation of simple detailing, rough concrete and aged timber, the two homes connect with the outdoors with two linear courtyards. To bring in a sense of calmness, a framed tree preserves the “absence from the city’s influence, quietly documenting time.” The pitched roof is a small space enclosing the stair leading to an undefined open room – the roof itself. Three meter above ground, the city skyline seems almost tangible. The home offers an interesting contrast by having such a strong connection to two vastly different elements – the tree and the city.
The choice of materiality, namely the fair-face in-situ and pre-cast concrete, industrial finished flooring and local construction techniques, helps the project stay economical. The savings in materials “opens up opportunities to custom design furniture pieces as prototypes for House 2a, such as the kitchen unit, the dining table, the courtyard bench and the floor-sitting-couch.”
