Japanese architectural firm FujiwaraMuro Architects recently has completed a small yet contemporary house in Showa-cho, Japan.

Showa-cho is a quiet place even though it is downtown. There are many people residency from a long time ago. The design of the residence has a narrow frontage, which is a part of a row house (17.89m ×3.94m). The design of the residence is that the street in front of the house could be a part of scenery rather than to be closed towards the street.

A House in Showa-cho, image courtesy FujiwaraMuro Architects

A big problem in the progress of the planning was that it could take only less than 3 meters for effective flange width inside when it was built in such a long narrow lot. According to this condition, it was studied many times on how it could have an expansive feeling and continuity from the street side to the end of the back of the house.

A House in Showa-cho, image courtesy FujiwaraMuro Architects

The main solution was to use cross section construction. From the south side that faces the street, a tree (Ternstroemia gymnanthera) was planted. The living room has 5.6m of ceiling height", "stairwell and stairs spaces", "4 layers of construction from basement to 3rd floor each rooms", "a small outside stairwell". Each floor is not piled up, but adopted the skip floor method, which made a gap. This method made it possible to see the outside street from the back rooms so, that it could be unified with outside of the house and create a larger atmosphere.

A House in Showa-cho, image courtesy FujiwaraMuro Architects

Despite the stairs being in the center of the house it is not blocking the view of outside. Glass was used for every partition wall. Slits were also made on the floors and ceilings. From these effects, the house can be unified with the outside and therefore create a larger atmosphere within the house.

A House in Showa-cho, image courtesy FujiwaraMuro Architects

In general, when constructing on a small plot of land, planning tends to take on the idea of making the property spacious, but keeping privacy inside within the property. In such a case, the façade would normally be built with a wall, but then it would create an enclosed and pressured atmosphere. Since the Showa-cho property is a small plot of land, the house was constructed with a courtyard to follow the building coverage ratio by using almost all of ratio.

In this case, the house in Showa-cho, deliberately included the city side to scenery and made façade by planting a tree in the space in front of the house that made it could be seen inside of the house, too.

A House in Showa-cho - Floor plans, drawing courtesy FujiwaraMuro Architects

A House in Showa-cho - Section, drawing courtesy FujiwaraMuro Architects

+ Project credits / data

Architect: FujiwaraMuro Architects
Project: A House in Showa-cho
Location:  Showa-cho, Japan

+ All images and drawings courtesy FujiwaraMuro Architects

The TOT Pavilion participated in ITU Asia, the International Telecommunication Union fair. TOT is one of Thailand's biggest telecommunication companies which has been developed into different parts of Thai society in many ways. The concept of the booth focused on Expressing the Network of TOT throughout Thailand which is about the work of the TOT company that has been done so far, the future of TOT, the telecommunication knowledge from their researches and its organization. The main theme to express this exhibitin is “Weaving the new world of communication”.

TOT Pavilion, image courtesy Apostrophy's

As expressing the Thai network character, the pattern of Frogspawn and its connection to each other was used and translated into the design of the pavilion skin. The pavilion covered the area of 5 different zones which are Managed Services and ICT Solutions (MSIS), TOT Academy, Research&Development (R&D), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Mega Project zones.

TOT Pavilion, image courtesy Apostrophy's

TOT Pavilion, image courtesy Apostrophy's

The main structure of the pavilion is steel structure with a celluloid skin which expressed the idea of TOT network. The frogspawn connection was translated into celluloid sheets connected to each other. The production of the celluloid sheets was a digital fabrication process which aimed to reduce time and material consumption, and to save the energy in transportation. There were 3 of computer generated celluloid patterns which were produced in the local printing factory ( the same process as cutting CD covers etc. They are designed to be used in many other patterns by only changing the way of connecting to each other.The joint between the celluloid sheets are cable ties.

TOT Pavilion, image courtesy Apostrophy's

The material itself gave a very nice reflection. When the light was moving, the effect of the moving reflections occurred. This gave a very impressive lighting patterns on the pavilion skin.

TOT zonings;
1. Managed Services and ICT Solutions (MSIS)
This zone explained TOT services for the government, state enterprise, and private sectors for its network and devices installation and maintenance which had been trusted by many organizations office buildings such as Suvanabhumi airport, Jamjuree square building. The content was explained on an interactive table through motion graphics on a touch screen which the audience could play with or choose the motion graphics they wanted to see. From this, it created interaction among the audience.

2. TOT Academy
This zone explained different types of knowledge that TOT had produced such as workshops, seminars that are related to communication technology. The content was translated into motion graphics projecting on a big book screen. The audience could play with it by choosing or turning pages.

3. Research&Development (R&D)
This zone explained the telecommunication technology researches and development hanging on 9 columns on a dynamic form which led the audience from one to another to see and play. LCD screens were put on the columns to explain the work, together with some real products. A wifi vending machine was also created to put into this zone. The audience could put a coin into it, then the video showed up and a slip came out which contained both a username and password which the audience could use to log on to the internet.

4. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
This zone explain the CSR work of TOT through projecting motion graphics onto the model of Thailand map on different levels through telling a story of growing the future of children in different parts of Thailand such as using satellite school, TOT school, TOT young club activities. The story was explained by projecting green spaces on the areas that TOT activities went to, turning from dry and brown area into green.

5. Mega Project zones
This booth explained about the technology kind that is involved with urban lifestyles such as 3G, Wimax, Brand Cast IP. The design was a motion graphic playing in a model of 3 different living areas such as a high-rise building in the city center, a townhouse in a suburb and a resort in a rural area explaining activities in our current life that is driven by TOT communication technology. Also the video was projected on the screen hanging from the ceiling to explain the reflection of the city that is driven by the TOT technology network which can’t just be seen by eyes.

Many different types of designs, media and interactive processes were involved in this event, regarding the concept of each zone.

TOT Pavilion - Layout plan, drawing courtesy Apostrophy's

+ Project credits / data

Project: TOT Pavilion
Design/Creative/Project manager: Apostrophy's the Synthesis server Co.,Ltd.
Client: TOT Public Company Limited

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy of Apostrophy's the Synthesis server Co.,Ltd.

Japanese architect Akiyoshi Nakao of Coo Planning designed a house in Hamadera. It is a house where three families who built in Osaka Prefecture Sakai City live. It is located in a still residential area where an old station and the tram named hamadera suwanomori remain. The master bought land for this town where memories living since the child were deep. It faces in the north and 4m road and east and west face the neighboring house. Rich green though the Suwanomori Shinto shrine is small a place is produced in the south. It is especially considered that green in the south is felt in the plan.

House in Hamadera, image courtesy Coo Planning

House in Hamadera, image courtesy Coo Planning

It is a space where the light of the sprinkling sun is felt as for a small window and a top light that holds ventilation and ventilation concurrently to achieve a bright space without installing a big from east to west window. It is an address space configuration of the skip floor where height and the material feeling were made the best use of in the maximum.

House in Hamadera, image courtesy Coo Planning

To install the bookshelf using a full wall, and to enjoy the storage of the book that the number of this favorite families will increase in the future with the growth of a small child and the family, it considered it from east to west.

House in Hamadera, image courtesy Coo Planning

The space with a little uselessness was borne in mind by assuming the outside Heat insulator by using the pillar, the puncheon, and the groundwork plywood as a bookshelf. Rich green from the Shinto shrine extends from the framed window to the cross in the south. To always feel big green by the distance and the height of each floor, it considers it. The address space configuration to be able to live naturally as much as possible was borne in mind. A natural wind flows to the space by additionally opening and shutting north, south, east, and west and the window installed respectively at the season.

House in Hamadera, image courtesy Coo Planning

To obtain it, an open mouth of the first floor in the south considers ventilation according to the situation as windows is piled up up and down, and outside privacy doesn’t worry. The space wrapped in the tree by installing the wooden door of the movability type in the front shedding that the glance from the road is anxious and uniting materials is emphasized. Energies was devoted into union with the lurch plywood such as the floor, the wall, ceilings, and fittings.

House in Hamadera - Section, drawing courtesy Coo Planning

A polite selection and construction were advanced and construction was advanced by thinking about the color and the arrangement of color of paints by feeling light on the attitude site. Creator’s mark here and there is felt, and it does at home ..so… The one (feeling of family of long, short house-making similarly, and can importance indefinitely living). Thinking the house to be important and living lead to an environment friendly residence indefinitely. It wishes the depth or more to be increased with the family as time passes.

House in Hamadera - L1 floor plan, drawing courtesy Coo Planning

House in Hamadera - L2 downstair floor plan, drawing courtesy Coo Planning

House in Hamadera - L2 upstair floor plan, drawing courtesy Coo Planning

House in Hamadera - Roof plan, drawing courtesy Coo Planning

+ Project credits / data

Akiyoshi Nakao, image courtesy Coo Planning

Project: House in hamadera
Design: Akiyoshi Nakao of Coo Planning
Location: Osaka Prefecture Sakai City
Type: Single family residence (couple+child)
Construction: Two-story wood frame construction
Site area: 1,331 square feet
Construction area: 596 square feet
Total floor area: 1,056 square feet

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy Coo Planning

JoziRows in Forest Town, Johannesburg, is one of the latest residential building designed by South African office studioMAS architects + urban designers. The design was based on the ideas in the Courtyards in Oxford project. The project aims to achieve the spacious house with the feeling of safety with openness. It consists of 4 "lock-up-and-go" units, each with their own private courtyard and garden cottage.

We've evolved this concept further, using traditional Terraced Housing as a departure point. A traditional terrace(d) house is a style of medium-density housing that originated in late 17th century Europe… JoziRows adapts terraced housing to a contemporary design, offering a smaller scale variation of high-end courtyard houses.

studioMAS

JoziRows, image courtesy studioMAS architects + urban design

+ Project description courtesy studioMAS architects + urban design

The brief entailed the creation of compact residential units, combining density with spaciousness, and the feeling of safety with openness.

We are passionate about creating design solutions that address the challenging urban housing issues faced in our land. In 2005, we began exploring these ideas in our Courtyards in Oxford project. Now, we've evolved this concept further, using traditional Terraced Housing as a departure point. A traditional terrace(d) house is a style of medium-density housing that originated in late 17th century Europe. While this typology was used extensively throughout the world, few contemporary examples exist in Johannesburg; this despite the growth in medium density development. JoziRows adapts terraced housing to a contemporary design, offering a smaller scale variation of high-end courtyard houses.

JoziRows - Floor plans, drawing courtesy studioMAS architects + urban design

JoziRows - Section, drawing courtesy studioMAS architects + urban design

This development in Forest Town, Johannesburg, consists of 4 "lock-up-and-go" units, each with their own private courtyard and garden cottage. Consciously responding to many urban and social issues occurring in the city, JoziRows uses the development rights given to conventional cluster developments, but offers a different solution. Instead of hiding behind a high perimeter fence and losing more than 40% of a stand to internal roads and building lines, JoziRows doubles up on side walls and completely excludes internal access roads by using the street for that. This means that units feel more spacious and private, with more land used for gardens and useful building space.

JoziRows, image courtesy studioMAS architects + urban design

JoziRows, image courtesy studioMAS architects + urban design

Each unit comprises of three levels. The lower level, directly off the street, is the most public and consists of the main entrance and the garage. There is also an additional room with en suite bathroom on this level, which could be used as a guest bedroom, visitors lounge, study or office. As one ascends the main staircase into the living level, the nature of this flexible habitable space is experienced as it spills onto the deck and into the courtyard. The upper and most private level is the bedroom level. While the spaces are contained within glass sliding 'walls', the view toward the street and the garden at the back are vast. The bedroom area is designed as an open space which can be used as one big or 2 smaller bedrooms. Enclosing the courtyard, is a garden cottage, framed by a planted pergola.

The houses are economical in their use of space, private in their relationship with each other, and accessible in their interaction with the street. They delve into aspects of residential living and build on the tradition of seamless indoor-outdoor living, creating comfortable internal courtyards that maximize the experience of the temperate Johannesburg climate. While the interiors accommodate for private functions of family life, the facade has a direct dialogue with the street. We hope that this project will encourage its users to engage the urban realm and on a broader level, to further the debate about housing in this city.

+ Project details / credits

Project: JoziRows
Location: Forest town, Johannesburg, South Africa
Site area: 1500m2
Built-up area: 764.8m2
Project start: March 2008
Completion: July 2010

Architect: studioMAS architects + urban designers
Principal designer: Pierre Swanepoel
Design team: Pierre Swanepoel & Marianne Anthonissen
Contractor: Luis Construction
Photographs: Barry Goldman

+ All images and drawings courtesy studioMAS