F House Residential Building by Keisuke Fukui and Keisuke Morikawa Is Granted the Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

The Work

Project

F House Residential Building

Function

Residential Building

Category

Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Discipline

Spatial Design

Industry

Architecture

Colors

Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray, Light Slate Gray and Gainsboro

Images

5

Client

Kamakura Studio Co., Ltd.

The Recognition

Laureate

Keisuke Fukui and Keisuke Morikawa

Country

Japan

Recognition

Silver A' Design Award

Edition

2022 - 2023

Design ID

#147776

Credits

Team

Keisuke Fukui and Keisuke Morikawa

Image Credits

Photo copyright: picture1,3,4 Shinkenchiku-sha Photo copyright: picture2,5 TOREAL Koji Fujii

Design Details

Unique Properties

This is an architect's home and office, attempting to foster community connections by making the office and café on the first floor where people from the town can casually drop by. They thought that by extending and sharing a part of their daily life in a fun and easy way, they could foster a more living community. Since there is a network in this area to increase and share plants, they wanted to visualize this network through architecture and establish it as a part of the local culture.

Inspiration

The site is located in a town where 75% of the households are newcomers, and it is feared that if left unchecked, the site will become obsolete with the aging of the population. Through research, they discovered a stock-sharing network, a culture of increasing and sharing plants that is unique to this area. They wanted to utilize this architecture to expand this network, to strengthen the ties between residents, and to improve the town by the residents.

Research

By analyzing statistical data, they found that the number of new households in the city where the site is located is 75% of the total number of households in the city. It is clear that when households of a similar age group move in all at once like this, the town then ages quickly and the town loses momentum. This is a common problem in so-called NEW TOWN. As a way to confront this problem while living in the city, they positioned the first floor of their home as an office and experimental site for tactical urbanism.

Challenge

It was difficult to create a bright atmosphere not only for the architecture but also for its surroundings, given the unfavorable conditions that did not allow sufficient sunlight to enter the building. Therefore, they took in sunlight from the high sidelights on the south side, created a series of diagonal atrium openings, and placed plants there. In this way, the interior space is bright, and everyone passing along the front road can share the scenery of brightly shining plants shared by the community. On the first floor, the bright atmosphere of the city is filled with visible activity.

Realization and Technology

The exterior and interior are designed to create a sense of various connections. On the exterior, the local culture of increasing and sharing plants is expressed in the forest-like architecture, attracting the interest of people in town. The first floor, like the foot of the forest, is open, with a direct connection to the town. From the second floor up, a slanting open space is taken where sunlight from the south penetrates the interior and exterior, and plants are placed in this open space so that everyone passing by on the front street can share in the shared plant landscape with full sunlight.

Operation and Interaction

They thought of extending the awareness of living a little and sharing a part of their life with others to make their life more enjoyable and even to become a job. They drink a lot of coffee, so when they brew enough for others, it becomes like a cafe. They put some of their neighbors books on a big bookshelf, so it becomes like a library. Watching a movie with a projector, because it's more fun for everyone, makes it like a movie theater. They hope that by sharing various things and objects, a natural community will be fostered.

Project Duration and Location

The project started in March 2018. The construction period is from June 2020 to December 2022. The site is located in Chiba prefecture, 30 minutes by train from Tokyo.

Specifications

It has been certified as excellent long-term housing, the highest standard for evaluating building performance, in Japan. Specifically, it has excellent structural, thermal insulation, maintenance, and variable performance. The height of this building is roughly 10 meters. The site area is 135.79 m2, the building area is 80.3 m2, and the total floor area is 168.79 m2.

Keywords

Housing, work-life balance, cafes, community space, connection among residents, suburban housing, local culture, community development, tactical urbanism