Cat-tagonal House / B.U.S Architecture

Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeCat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Interior Photography, Table, Windows, ChairCat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Interior Photography, Dining room, Table, Chair, WindowsCat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Exterior Photography, Facade, WindowsCat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - More Images+ 22

  • Architects: B.U.S Architecture
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  216
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Roh Kyung
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Louis Poulsen
  • Lead Architects: Park Jihyeon, Cho Seonghak, Woo Seungjin
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Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Exterior Photography, Facade, Windows
© Roh Kyung

Text description provided by the architects. A pentagon - The plan of the house is a pentagon. A pentagon is the first polygonal figure to make all corners obtuse. From a traditional standpoint, the lack of right angles in any corner of the house will ultimately lead to the assumption that there is ‘a lot of wasted space’. However, the reason why we proposed the obtuse corners in the small house is probably the look of its softly open ends. I think this is a handy way to replace a single house which is always in contact with the ground, such as a tard, with a continuous experience connected with the land. In addition, the owners wanted to use the exterior space for various subdivided purposes (so not a single integrated yard). As such, the house has been shaped in a pentagon form to divide the yard.

Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Interior Photography, Dining room, Table, Chair, Windows
© Roh Kyung
Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Image 19 of 27
Plan - 1st floor
Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Image 20 of 27
Plan - 2nd floor
Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Interior Photography, Table, Windows, Chair
© Roh Kyung

Cats and People - In the Cat-tagonal House, two cats, named Mango and Tango, and two people live together. From the beginning of the design, the best possible conditions in which cats and humans can live together have been an essential topic for architects and owners. We had designed houses accommodating cats several times before, and we learned from those experiences that it was impossible to specify each cat’s behavior from a singular or universal perspective. However, I tend to listen seriously to the ’cat servants’ story who understands the cats well through a long-standing relationship, and this process was also applied in the Cat-tagonal House.

Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Interior Photography, Stairs, Chair
© Roh Kyung
Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Image 21 of 27
Plan - 3rd floor

Considering the differences in individual characteristics, if there’s a minimum condition necessary for a cat living together with a human, it seems to be creating a dedicated toilet for your cat and a dressing room with limited cat access to block cat fur. 

Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Roh Kyung

We made some solutions that allow cats to safely face the yard by placing a window at the eve level of Mango and Tango, and a wooden sash window behind a large window that leads out to the yard. But the unexpected behaviors that cats sometimes show also taught us that cats never behave as we believe. In the end, we reconfirmed that a good place for humans to live is also suited to cats.

Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Roh Kyung
Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Image 22 of 27
Section plan 01
Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Roh Kyung

Round Stairs - Each floor is linked evenly surrounding the pentagon, and the stairs connecting the corners of the obtuse angle are continuous with a curved wall that gently joins these points. Since the end of the curved staircase is not clearly visible at the beginning, the intensity of the natural light flowing down the stairs, which gently caresses the wall, is different every moment depending on the location of the sun. The most elegant moments of the house would be where we felt the soft texture of the walls colored by the light pouting down the stairs.

Cat-tagonal House  / B.U.S Architecture - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Roh Kyung

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Cite: "Cat-tagonal House / B.U.S Architecture" 13 Jul 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/985173/cat-tagonal-house-bus-architecture> ISSN 0719-8884

© Roh Kyung

五角猫宅 / B.U.S Architecture

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