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VOID SPACE/HINGED SPACE HOUSING

1991

Description +

PROGRAM: Mixed use complex, with 28 residential apartments

CLIENT: Fukuoka Jisho Co.

SIZE: 45,671 sq ft

STATUS: Complete

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.

Credits +

  • architect

    - Steven Holl Architects

    Steven Holl (design architect)

    Hideaki Ariizumi, Pier Luigi Copat (project team)

Awards +


  • 1992 AIA NY Honor Award
  • 1991 Progressive Architecture Award
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