VOID SPACE/HINGED SPACE HOUSING
Fukuoka, Japan, 1989-1991
PROGRAM: Mixed use complex, with 28 residential apartments
CLIENT: Fukuoka Jisho Co.
SIZE: 14,000 sf
STATUS: completed
From hinged space to the silence of void space. Four active north facing voids interlock with four quiet south facing voids to bring a sense of the sacred into domestic life. To ensure emptiness, the south voids are flooded with water, generating flickering reflections. The 28 apartment interiors are conceptualized as "hinged space," a modern interpretation of the multi-use concept of traditional Fusuma. Diurnal hinging allows expansion of the living area during the day, reclaimed by bedrooms at night. Episodic hinging reflects change in family over time; rooms can be added or subtracted accommodating grown-up children leaving or elderly parents moving in. A sense of passage is heightened by three types of access, by allowing apartments to have exterior front doors, and by interlocking apartments like a complex Chinese box.
Fukuoka, Japan, 1989-1991
PROGRAM: Mixed use complex, with 28 residential apartments
CLIENT: Fukuoka Jisho Co.
SIZE: 14,000 sf
STATUS: completed
From hinged space to the silence of void space. Four active north facing voids interlock with four quiet south facing voids to bring a sense of the sacred into domestic life. To ensure emptiness, the south voids are flooded with water, generating flickering reflections. The 28 apartment interiors are conceptualized as "hinged space," a modern interpretation of the multi-use concept of traditional Fusuma. Diurnal hinging allows expansion of the living area during the day, reclaimed by bedrooms at night. Episodic hinging reflects change in family over time; rooms can be added or subtracted accommodating grown-up children leaving or elderly parents moving in. A sense of passage is heightened by three types of access, by allowing apartments to have exterior front doors, and by interlocking apartments like a complex Chinese box.
AWARDS
AIA NY Honor Award, USA, 1992
Progressive Architecture Award, USA, 1991
AIA NY Honor Award, USA, 1992
Progressive Architecture Award, USA, 1991
CREDITS
architect
– Steven Holl Architects
Steven Holl (design architect)
Hideaki Ariizumi, Pier Luigi Copat (project team)
architect
– Steven Holl Architects
Steven Holl (design architect)
Hideaki Ariizumi, Pier Luigi Copat (project team)