ICU architects office: yo

<p>heavily influenced by the lush quality of the wooded site, the design aims to create a space that captures the chromatic elements of the changing seasons. </p>

erika kim July 18, 2011 2 min

‘yo’ by ICU architects office in kanazawa city, japan all images courtesy ICU architects office image © kazuo fukunaga

tokyo-based practice ICU architects office (naoyuki nagata) has shared with us images of ‘yo’, a small private dwelling on a wooded site 30 minutes outside of kanazawa city, japan. heavily influenced by the lush quality of the immediate landscape, the design aims to create a space that captures the chromatic elements of the changing seasons.

ICU architects office: yo - 1 elevation image © kazuo fukunaga

with a built footprint of 86 m2, the project seeks to convey an expansive sense of space by projecting outwards and connecting each room with a different scenery. eight volumes divided into a 9m by 9m formation is manipulated and rearranged to achieve an ideal placement according to the function of the program. the resulting composition pays careful consideration to how the flow of the domestic circulation will move, dissolving physical partitions between individual spaces.

ICU architects office: yo - 2 (left) view of the exterior from inside (right) staircase images © kazuo fukunaga

standing as a blank slate, the majority of the house’s surface is finished in concrete with glass and stainless steel panels. the panels are perforated by a digitalized photo-image, amplifying the effects of light and colours from the landscape.

ICU architects office: yo - 3 glazing image © kazuo fukunaga

ICU architects office: yo - 4 images © kazuo fukunaga

ICU architects office: yo - 5 image © kazuo fukunaga

ICU architects office: yo - 6 images © kazuo fukunaga

ICU architects office: yo - 7

ICU architects office: yo - 8 within context image © kazuo fukunaga

ICU architects office: yo - 9 schematic models

ICU architects office: yo - 10 site map

ICU architects office: yo - 11 floor plan (1) room A (2) room B (3) kitchen (4) dining (5) living (6) terrace (7) inner court (8) water section

ICU architects office: yo - 12 section

project info:

principal-in-charge: naoyuki nagata project team: eri murata, hiroco kakei consultants: TAPS – masaichi taguchi (structural) general contractor: nagasaka gumi structural system: concrete

site area: 762.82 m2 built area: 86.05 m2 total floor area: 76.35 m2