R House is situated alongside a busy street in a dense residential area without any particular view to be reserved. Therefore, the main concept of this house is to have an inward view towards the central space, which was formed by dividing the mass into two with a diagonal void that runs in between them. This void responds to the east and west orientation and allows sunlight and natural air to penetrate into.
Architects: Antony Liu
Status: Concept
The division of the building masses are fragmented into strips, into which a series of programs spaces are inserted in between this strips. The aim is to develop a rich spatial zoning that focusing on the central view while accommodate a large demand of program spaces and enables each rooms to capture the transition of sunlight and airflow.
The programs in the house are distributed across the three and a half level. The service area is located on the ground floor, whereas the semi-private and private programs are elevated from the street level to reduce the noise. Based on the same reason, openings towards the street were made more solid. Water feature was also installed on the edge, which act as a buffer where the sound of the water disguises the noise.
The two main masses that confine the central space are split into parents and kid’s space to accommodate privacy for both parties. In addition, the parents’ bedroom was elevated slightly above the kid’s bedrooms allowing the living room underneath to have a higher ceiling than the guest bedrooms underneath the kid’s bedrooms. Kid’s playing area, reading room, and shared wardrobe were located on a mezzanine level above the kid’s bedrooms, creating an interesting spatial experience. The butterfly roof system was also applied in order to enhance a more spacious feeling.
In terms of materials, this projects mainly used exposed concrete for the strips and for the wall that runs parallel to the direction of the strips. On the other hand, the planes that run perpendicular to the strips were mostly made transparent to enhance visual interaction across the room. The edging of the strips are made out of galvanized steel, which allows it to be as thin as one centimeter. Meanwhile, interior floor that were finished with a warm tone natural wood such as maple was designed to contrast the exposed concrete and galvanized material.
