koizumi atelier: LCCM demonstration house

‘LCCM demonstration house’ by koizumi atelier in tsukuba-shi, ibaraki-ken, japan all images courtesy koizumi atelier image © koichi torimura

yokohama-based architecture practice koizumi atelier has shared with us images of ‘life cycle carbon minus (LCCM) demonstration house‘, a dwelling that has been designed to achieve negative CO2 emission throughout all its stages of construction, operation, and future demolition. situated within the grounds of the building research institute in ibaraki-ken, japan, the project consulted a number of specialists to conceive a design that ‘changes dresses for each season’.

west facade image © koichi torimura

featuring a glazed facade to the south, the overall form of the house was driven by multiple concepts that would allow for an optimum and energy-efficient operation: two ventilation towers behind a pitched roof punctuate the outline of the dwelling while facilitating natural air flow and lighting for the interior. to readily-react to japan’s polar climate – hot and humid in the summer, chilly in the winter – the glazed elevation is made flexible through a series of sliding screens and louvers. the system allows for different ‘modes’ that allows for ideal insulation or solar intake as well as control over sunlight and privacy. 

south facade image © koichi torimura

for a compartmentalized way to operate the living space in addition to an efficient arrangement, the layout of the house consists of multiple strips: a ‘resting zone’ to the north, a ‘buffer zone’ to the south, and an open ‘activity zone’ in between. the organization has been translated vertically as a stacked configuration, further enabling natural air and heat flow. other energy-efficient features include photovoltaic panels, locally grown and harvested timber, household fuel cells, and LED lightings.

ground level dining and kitchen area image © koichi torimura

natural lighting filters through shading device image © koichi torimura

view from dining area image © koichi torimura

dining area image © koichi torimura

(left) study area (right) vertical chasm images © koichi torimura

kitchenimage © koichi torimura

upper level bedroomsimage © koichi torimura

(left) ground level circulation along south facade (right) upper level circulation along south facade images © koichi torimura

upper level loft and bedroomimage © koichi torimura

entry foyerimage © koichi torimura

ground levelimage © koichi torimura

bedrooms at nightimage © koichi torimura

rooftop photovoltaic panels – autumnimage © koichi torimura

entry facadeimage © koichi torimura

entry facade at night image © koichi torimura

south facade illuminated at night image © koichi torimura

sustainability diagram

all year, summer and winter ventilation diagram

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level +1

section a-a

section b-b

project info:

total floor area: 143 m2 structure: wooden storeys: 2

construction and plumbing: gunji construction co., ltd. measuring instruments: measuring engineering consultation advisor: life cycle carbon minus house research and development committee