Hasta La Ideas

Japanese studio General Design constructed this two-storey house in Tokyo as the prototype for a series of urban housing templates that can be replicated in any Japanese city (+ slideshow).

“The clients simply asked for a basic house for themselves and their two children, so we regarded this project as an opportunity to work on urban house prototypes,” says General Design.

The building comprises a simple two-storey volume with a gabled roof and a plaster-covered exterior. There are no windows on the front facade, but a sky-lit atrium and private courtyard are contained behind the walls.

Skylights are dotted along the roof on both sides, bringing natural light into the house from different angles. There’s also a square window in the top-floor living room, offering a view out across the neighbourhood.

A large living and dining room spans the length of the building and folds around to a kitchen at the back. The glazed courtyard sits on the left, while an extra room at the front provides an office that allows residents to work from home.

An industrial staircase spirals up to the first floor, where a second living room leads through to three separate bedrooms.

General Design is led by Japanese architect Shin Ohori. Other projects by the studio include the bare concrete and steel headquarters for clothing brand Neighborhood and the windowless concrete flagship for Lad Musician. See more architecture by General Design.

Photography is by Daici Ano.

Here’s a project description from General Design:

Prototyping UH

The site is located in a typical urban site in central Tokyo, where low-rise wooden houses and light gauge steel apartment buildings are densely built up in narrow quarters.

The clients simply asked for a basic house for themselves and their two children, so we regarded this project as an opportunity to work on urban house prototypes.

This simple pitched-roof house, finished plainly with mortar, has rustic appearance like a barn.

Above: ground floor plan – click for larger image

We adopted a standard wood frame system to achieve a simple layout and low-cost construction. This prototype can be adjusted and be built on any other urban sites.

Above: first floor plan – click for larger image

Large openings are located around the small courtyard on ground floor, and a picture window towards the adjacent park is provided in additional living room on the second floor. And large skylights on the roof allows for nice breeze to flow inside, and also give contrasting effect of light and shadow throughout the house.

Above: second floor plan – click for larger image

We opened up the interior space as much as possible so that the family feels as if spending relaxing time outside, under the blue sky. We intended to turn this tiny urban lot into a place where the family members can live openly and enjoy sufficient light and wind.

Above: long section – click for larger image

Architect: Shin Ohori / General Design Co., Ltd.
Location: Meguro, Tokyo
Site Area: 120.04 sqm
Built Area: 64.33 sqm
Total Floor Area: 141.07 sqm
Structural System: Timber
Completion Date: May 2012

Above: cross section – click for larger image

The post Prototyping UH by
General Design appeared first on Dezeen.

This unusual Ciaté Chalkboard Manicure kit features a black chalkboard base coat, a clear top..(Read…)

The Works Sydney has recently unveiled the world’s largest cooler, which will be used to film a TV c..(Read…)

Busy lifestyles, rising costs of space, everyone’s working on-the-go and there simply isn’t enough room! Yet keys, wallets, phones and other essential..

Now in its 17th year, 2013 marks the first time that the International Bicycle Design Competition has partnered with iF Design Talents. Although the judging took place in October, following the submission period, the winners were announced just a couple of weeks ago at the Taipei International Cycle Show. Given the sheer backlash to two of the more recently-seen bicycle concepts here, we’ll offer no more than a measured critique of the winners of the 2013 International Bicycle Design Competition. Far be it for me to take issue with the judges’ selections of 22 prize winners from a field of 590 entries, who earned an invitation to a three-day workshop in Taiwan (the top ten won a cash prize as well)… though I couldn’t help but notice some of the usual suspects, from hubless wheels to stylized e-bikes and, of course, lights galore.

Judges Michael Tseng (Merida Bikes) & Martin Kessler (Process Group)

In any case, here are the 12 ‘Third Place’ winners, who earned the invitation to a three-day workshop in Taiwan, with a few discursive comments where applicable.

ALIGHT
Brian Franson – NC State University, Raleigh, United States

ALIGHT is a retractable lighting device that attaches to the rear seat of a bicycle, [incorporating] stretchable electronics and a retractor mechanism, which allows it to be coiled up or extended out. By extending the light to the rear wheel axle, it creates more surface area and a larger visual impact [which can be seen from all angles]. ALIGHT emits a bright green light, which will turn red when braking and flash yellow when turning left or right.

– Definitely a novel approach to bicycle lighting, but I wonder how other road-users will interpret the lines of light, which don’t explicitly indicate a bicycle (or any vehicle, for that matter). Drivers and other cyclists alike might find it confusing.

Anti-Theft Pedal
Yao Ying-Liang & Hsu Ting-Yun – SHU-TE University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Using the profile of the pedal, the two sides of the pedal are extended to form a fork-shape, it is then fixed at the support of the rear wheel, locking the pedal. Thus, the pedal cannot move forwards, offering an elegant anti-theft function.

– I find that pedals protrude rather awkwardly when locking up; this concept turns them into an ad hoc locking mechanism. I’d be curious to see if this could be extrapolated into some kind of integrated U-lock, but I imagine the additional bulk/weight would be a limiting factor.

DORA Helmet Concept
Balázs Filczer – MOME, Budapest, Hungary

DORA has been designed for cyclists who travel through the city very often, especially at night… its lights can be seen from every direction. The other problem is the non-equivalent signals between the cyclist and the drivers, mostly during direction changes. DORA helps you change direction easily and safely. The front light on the helmet gives you light directed toward the road; moreover you can leave your bike (and its light) behind, because the light is exactly where you look.

– I’ve seen some similar concepts, so it’s not entirely original, but it benefits from strong presentation, and the handlebar-mounted Bluetooth remote is a nice touch. Still, I think it would make more sense to somehow integrate the buttons into the brake levers (though this means that each one would either have to have its own battery, or be wired to a single battery).

Gran Turismo
Justin Chan, Paul Czarnietzki, Mina Lee & Andrew Lesniak – University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

Known for their ergonomics, recumbent tricycles allow people with injuries that prevent them from riding a normal bike to still enjoy riding. However, recumbent tricycle designs have remained unchanged and stagnant. The Gran-Turismo is an update to improve on the areas of aesthetics, safety, materials and technology. Inspired by the essence of a modern super car it aims to match their road bike counterparts in building materials and to stand out in style and performance. Using an existing recumbent tricycle, we overhauled the frame while keeping the same dimensions and geometry to maintain its ergonomics.

(more…)