Hasta La Ideas

Japanese architect Takato Tamagami used the golden spiral of the Fibonacci mathematical sequence to plan the twisted proportions of this house in Hokkaido, Japan (+ slideshow).

The house is named Northern Nautilus as a reference to this spiral shape and is positioned on the side of a hill overlooking a park to the north.

“We imagined that if we made the house high enough, they will have a nice view towards the park and the panorama of the town on the hill,” said Takato Tamagami.

The volume of the house comprises two overlapping blocks, with one running parallel to the street and the other rotated through 30 degrees. Floor levels are different in each block and create a series of split levels.

“We created a dynamic spiral flow of circulation and form,” added the architect. “Light and view transform in multiple ways as you move up and down the space.”

A dining room and kitchen are located at the very top of the house and feature a double-height window with a view out over the park.

Two staircases lead down from this room to a mezzanine floor in the middle of the house. One winds down into a living room, while the other descends into a private, window-less study that is used by the client’s wife.

One bedroom is slotted into the corner of this storey, plus two more are located on the ground floor below.

The split levels of the house create a large storage area between the floors in the centre of the house. A parking garage is also integrated into the volume, with a shelf above for storing a canoe.

Tokyo-based architect Takato Tamagami launched his studio in 2002. Past projects include N-House, which comprises two homes tangled around each other, and a showroom with a curving chasm for an entrance.

See more houses in Japan »

Here’s a project description from Takato Tamagami:

Northern Nautilus

This house for a young couple stands on a lot in a readjusted land on a hill. The site faces a street on the north, and is surrounded by neighboring houses on the other three sides. It seemed like a rather commonplace urban condition at first, but we were excited to discover a good view of a park below, located across the street towards northeast direction. We imagined that if we made the house high enough, they will have a nice view towards the park and the panorama of the town on the hill, and enjoy seasonal changes of trees from there. So our design started from providing a large window towards the park view on top floor.

The building consists of interlocking volumes of cuboid located parallel to the site and cube rotated by 30 degrees to face the park. Plan of the cuboid is based on golden proportion and spatial division is determined by logarithmic spiral. By giving order to spatial proportion and composition, one can provide a sense of stability and comfort in living environment. This is a classical design method that had been adapted by many architects in the past.

We added a new step to this method that is extracting the square and rotating it. As a result we created a dynamic spiral flow of circulation and form. Light and view transform in multiple ways as you move up and down the space.

Each volume has floor on different level and each floor is allocated for specific use, and the floors step up continually and extend outwards. The gap between mezzanine ceiling and top floor is used as storage space.

Garage is placed in a part of rotated cube and the ceiling is made high enough to accommodate a canoe, as the client loves outdoor sports. And we made storage space above the garage so that they can load and unload outdoor sport goods directly from the car.

Each space has different ceiling height. Entrance hall has a 6.6 meter-high void space and as you go up ceiling height of each living space gets lower. Living room on the mezzanine level is 3.9 meters high and dining room on the second floor is compressed to 2.2 meters high. Here the sense of horizontality is emphasized to enhance visual experience. As you approach the full-width window a bright panoramic view of trees and surrounding townscape opens up dramatically.

Study/book storage is located in that middle on the mezzanine level, which is used as private room of the client’s wife. It is visually inaccessible from the rest of the house, except that it is visually connected to the double-height bedroom so the couple can feel each other’s presence while maintaining some privacy. She can go down there from the second floor using stairs located behind the kitchen, so it is easy take a break from housekeeping and enjoy her free time.

By splitting floor levels we were able to separate living spaces while maintaining a sense of togetherness at the same time.

Above: concept diagram

The couple stands by the dining room window and sees neighborhood children playing cheerfully in the park. When they have a child on their own he/she will eventually join there. From this window they will keep an eye on growth of all children and their hometown.

Above: ground floor plan

Above: middle floor plan

Above: top floor plan

Above: section

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Takato Tamagami appeared first on Dezeen.

This suburban family house in Japan by architect Yoshiaki Nagasaka is pretending to be a cabin in a forest (+ slideshow).

Yoshiaki Nagasaka describes his concept for the house as “a series of contradictory aspirations”, which include rooms that can be both large and intimate and private and open.

The architect has therefore designed a single-storey house that is divided up by sliding plywood partitions, with a gabled roof that creates a variety of ceiling heights for different rooms.

The residence is located between the cities of Nara and Osaka. It contains a living room, dining room, kitchen and traditional Japanese room as one large family area, while the main bedroom and two children’s rooms are tucked away at the back.

Both children’s rooms feature mezzanine lofts, separating beds from play areas. Sliding plywood screens also cover these lofts so that they can be opened out to the rest of the house when necessary.

An informal corridor runs through the centre of the building and is lit from above by a long narrow skylight. Walls are lined with cedar boards and are punctured by clusters of differently sized windows.

The house is entitled Hut In Woods, as a reference to the woodland that historically covered the area but has since been interspersed with housing developments. As a nod to this, the architect has planted trees in the surrounding garden. “We propose to replant original vegetation on the house plot, regenerating the plant cover in 10 years,” he adds.

Other recently completed Japanese houses include a home that points out like a giant telescope and a residence with a shimmering glass-brick facade. See more Japanese houses on Dezeen.

Photography is by Yasunori Shimomura.

Here’s some more information from Yoshiaki Nagasaka:

Hut in woods – a house that accommodates contradictory aspirations within comfort

The site is situated in the vicinity of two cities; the metropolitan city of Osaka and Japan’s oldest city, Nara, a place of important historic buildings and wilderness. “Hut in woods” is located in a residential area developed during Japan’s economic boom during the late 60s and 70s. The mounds of wild woods nearby are still visible between the housing developments.

We had a series of contradictory aspirations at the start of design process for our future house: how could we create comfortable space encompassing:

Aspiration one – “living with nature, but with the convenience and security of living in a city”

To achieve this goal, we propose to replant original vegetation on the house plot, regenerating the plant cover in 10 years. We will encourage the neighbours around the site to do the same by opening a part of our plot to the public where they can participate in seedling, aiming to create a chain of wood cover in the spaces between the houses.

Aspiration two – “large, bright open spaces as well as small intimate spaces”

Three bedrooms in small sizes of 2no.x5.2sqm and 1no.x 6.2sqm. We designed the diurnal spaces by, combining the living, dining and kitchen areas and a Japanese style living room as one large open space of 35sqm. A 15cm wide continuous light slit spans the roof ridge and accentuates the openness. Sunlight drawn from the slits tells occupiers time and seasonal changes.

Two small bedrooms are positioned for children to be able to build their own area, their ‘castle’, as they grow and achieve their independence. Under the ceiling height of 3.8m, a bookshelf wall and the sleeping areas of the loft space above the cupboards create a playful 3 dimensional space. Once the children are grown and leave the house, their ‘castles’ can be adapted into study rooms for wife and husband.

The main bedroom of 6.2sqm has a reduced ceiling height of 1.98m. The space is cosy and calm with dimmed light levels.

Aspiration three – “to be closer, yet allow privacy, between family members”

A large multi-purpose table in the main living room is a focus for family activities. The double height children’s bedrooms have dual level sliding screens made of ply sheet that can control privacy in relation to the open area. Throughout the house, these sliding screens act as partitions for each space. In their temporary positions, as in a traditional Japanese house, the screens cushion the divisions within the house.

Aspiration four – “to be a traditional, yet also an original, contemporary house”

A local building contractor specialised in hand made wood construction with local cedar was also hired to design the structural joints and junctions for the house. Within the exposed traditional structural elements, the design is infused with a contemporary feel, achieved through a close collaboration between architect and master builder.

The main wall receives natural light with a contemporary twist while the joints and main pillar are visually symbolized in a traditional manner. Plywood sheet, a conventional material, has been crafted in a traditional way for the partitions and fittings as well as visually framing the landscape context of the house.

A contemporary sprit is manifest in the contrasts between the traditional details and its expression in the house that meets our aspirations for the architecture. Modern life is saturated with a variety of materials, we accommodate this in our design. Elements drawn from contemporary life blend beautifully in the light and shadow of everyday existence in nature.

It will take some time until the area grows back to woods but a house is not a transient object. We believe the vegetation should grow back gradually together with the family and community.

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Yoshiaki Nagasaka appeared first on Dezeen.

Habitués à faire des visuels et posters magnifiques, Kai & Sunny ont récemment réalisé leur première création murale. Toujours basée sur ce graphisme élégant et fortement inspiré de la nature et principalement des oiseaux, cette création présente au London’s St Katharine Docks est à découvrir dans la suite.

News: Zaha Hadid Architects has been appointed by the Mayor of London to help develop plans for a major new airport in the southeast of England.

Hadid’s firm will work alongside UK-based engineers Atkins and Pascall+Watson, the architects who designed Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport, to prepare a submission to the UK government about the future of aviation around the capital.

“This work is essential to deliver the most integrated transport solutions for London and the UK,” said Hadid. “It will enable London to maintain its position as one of the world’s most important economic, commercial and cultural centres, outlining the city’s future growth and development, which has always been founded on global connectivity.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “It is absolutely imperative that work to progress a new hub airport in the southeast is completed as soon as possible. The government has set a timetable that dawdles, when dash should be the order of the day.

“That is why I have assembled a mighty team of experts who I have tasked with delivering a fulsome examination of the most realistic solutions to our aviation crisis in the shortest time possible, which I look forward to sharing with the government.”

In 2011, architect Norman Foster unveiled his own proposals for an airport and transport hub on the Thames estuary, while last year architects Gensler proposed a floating airport connected by underwater tunnels for the same location – see all airports.

Earlier this week Hadid slammed the UK’s “misogynist” attitude towards women architects after a survey found nearly a third knew they were paid less than their male counterparts – see all news about Zaha Hadid.

Top image shows Hadid’s proposal for an extension to Zagreb Airport in Croatia.

Here’s the full press release:

Mayor announces world-class team to develop hub airport plans

The Mayor of London has appointed a world-class team of experts to help develop plans for a multi runway hub airport in the southeast.
Today (11 February) the Mayor will also give oral evidence to an aviation inquiry convened by the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee. Committee members are expected to ask him why developing a new hub airport is so important to London and to explain why further expansion of Heathrow is impossible.

Appointing a world-class team of experts has added further weight to the work being driven forward by the Mayor to address the nation’s aviation crisis. He has made it very clear that he wishes to see the speediest possible resolution to the debate on where to build a multi runway hub airport, so that the British economy is given the best chance to prosper in the face of huge competition from its global rivals
The Mayor has confirmed that the following organisations have all been engaged to help with work being prepared for submission to the Government.

They will provide expertise under the following themes:

Airport design & infrastructure

Atkins – one of the world’s leading design, engineering and project management consultancies. Projects they have worked on include the London 2012 Olympics, Bahrain World Trade Centre and the Dubai Metro. Atkins will also lead on consideration of surface access and environmental impacts.

Zaha Hadid Architects – Zaha Hadid was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize (considered to be the Nobel Prize of architecture) in 2004 and is internationally renowned for her theoretical and academic work. Time Magazine included her in their 2010 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She has worked on globally celebrated projects such as the London 2012 Aquatics Centre and Guangzhou Opera House in China.

Pascall & Watson architects – Previous projects include Heathrow Terminal 5, Dublin Airport Terminal 2, Rome Fiumicino Airport Masterplan. They also designed St Pancras International Station.

Socio economic impacts

Ramboll – a leading international engineering and management consultancy with a track record of examining the economic impact of airports and other infrastructure from around the world, supporting key developments in European air traffic control, working on the new Thames Crossing and developing National Policy Statements.

Oxford Economics – a world leader in global forecasting and quantitative analysis for business and government with unrivalled experience of exploring the economic impact of the aviation sector and airports for clients including IATA, ATAG, BAA and Airbus and developing economic forecasts and scenarios for London.

York Aviation – a leading firm specialising in the assessment of the economic impacts of aviation and aviation demand planning.

Professor Peter Tyler – Peter is a Professor in urban and regional economics in the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge and Fellow at St. Catharine’s College. Peter has an extensive track record in undertaking research for the public and private sector and an established reputation in the field of urban and regional economics with a particular emphasis on the evaluation of policy. He has been a Project Director for over seventy major research projects for Government.

Commercial viability

Ernst and Young – a global leader in assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services.

Legal and regulatory

Ashurst – The leading global law firm, which specialises in advising corporates, financial institutions and governments. Their core businesses are in corporate, finance, energy, resources and infrastructure.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “It is absolutely imperative that work to progress a new hub airport in the southeast is completed as soon as possible. The Government has set a timetable that dawdles when dash should be the order of the day. That is why I have assembled a mighty team of experts who I have tasked with delivering a fulsome examination of the most realistic solutions to our aviation crisis in the shortest time possible, which I look forward to sharing with the Government.”

Zaha Hadid said: “This work is essential to deliver the most integrated transport solutions for London and the UK. It will enable London to maintain its position as one of the world’s most important economic, commercial and cultural centres; outlining the city’s future growth and development which has always been founded on global connectivity.”

Mike Pearson, UK director of airports, Atkins said: “This project is not purely about the creation of a new hub airport, it’s about forming the foundations for London’s future development and reaffirming the UK’s position as a key international centre. It will fundamentally shift the debate on UK aviation once and for all, providing both a convincing and compelling case for how international air connectivity is critical to underpinning the UK economy, as well as driving wider regeneration.”

Around 15 different proposals for a new hub airport in the southeast have already been made public. The Mayor has consulted on criteria that will be used to evaluate each of those proposals and to form a shortlist of options. That shortlist is expected to be announced within weeks and the team now assembled by the Mayor will combine their expertise to produce detailed feasibility studies of the shortlisted options that the Mayor will submit to the Davies Commission.

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plans for new London airport appeared first on Dezeen.

Having grown tired of life in established firms, Vancouver-based architects Susan and David Scott ditched their digs in favor of the road less traveled, founding Scott and Scott Architects to focus on designing projects in more challenging environments. Launching today, 21 February, the small shop proudly introduces their first…

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