Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Cave for a Customs Inspector

Based on Hejduk’s “customs inspector” character in his book titled “Berlin Night”, the design of the residence for the character is devised from three of his traits:
  1. 1. Materials of high solidity.
  2. 2. Vast open spaces.
  3. 3. Smooth flowing motion.
Using those traits, the design phase begins with the splitting of the spaces into three major zones then divided into private and public spaces. Spaces are laid out in an almost open-plan style with no major structural elements showing (columns) to affect the aesthetics as well as the flow of the traffic.

Clad in raw concrete, glass and steel elements, one enters the house through a monolithic wall structure with minimal decoration and a small entrance on the lower-right corner of the wall. Once inside, a double-height ceiling with a window basks the lounge area with daylight.

Continuing to the second zone of the house one will encounter an open atrium (“tower”) that provides main ventilation as well as stairs that leads to the second level of spaces. The mirror is located on wall where one will encounter it prior taking the stairs up to the second level.

The bedroom is located in an enclosed room with strips of windows running vertically from one side of the room to the other through the roof, allowing indirect light to brighten up the room. The roof level for the room had also been lowered to give a sense of coziness.

Moving to the final (3rd zone) of the house, one will have the water closet and kitchen on the ground floor and the study up on the second level. The water closet is able to have sunlight due the slanting wall that allows light to enter via the atrium.

Onto the study (at the second level), it joins with the open atrium and opens up to the outside scenery at the far end of the house, allowing plenty of indirect sunlight into the space while maintaining good ventilation.

On the whole, the house resembles a large block of solid that had been carved out to reveal crevices that shines lights into the house to foster life. The open-plan styled layout promotes continuity of traffic and theme.

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