ICU architects office: yo ICU architects office: yo
jul 18, 2011

ICU architects office: yo

‘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.

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.

(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.

glazing image © kazuo fukunaga

images © kazuo fukunaga

image © kazuo fukunaga

images © kazuo fukunaga

within context image © kazuo fukunaga

schematic models

site map

floor plan (1) room A (2) room B (3) kitchen (4) dining (5) living (6) terrace (7) inner court (8) water section

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

erika kim I designboom
jul 18, 2011

  • cold

    Korby says:
    Jul 19, 2011

  • cold as ice

    spe says:
    Jul 19, 2011

  • the photography doesn’t help

    dbkii says:
    Jul 19, 2011

  • Nice siting of a very interesting planning configuration— of course the house would seem cold without warm furnishing–typical poofter comments

    www.illem says:
    Jul 19, 2011

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