Case Studies

 

Gifu Kitagata Apartment Building Sejima Wing 
Kitagata, Motosu-gun, Gifu Prefecture, Japan

 
Notable Features
 
bullet Modular standardization
bullet Mass customization of spaces
bullet 'Room' as basic building block
bullet L shaped wing design
bullet Double height spaces 
bullet Unique rhythmic pattern
bullet Construction waste minimization

Basic Information
 
bullet Location: Gifu, Japan
bullet Structure : Reinforced Concrete
bullet Building Type: 10-Storey Public Housing Reconstruction
bullet Completion: March 1998 (1994-1998)
bullet Building Area: 584 m2
bullet Total Floor Area: 4,706 m2
bullet Architect: Kazuyo Sejima & Associates and Yamasei Sekkei

Overview
 

The apartment building is part of a large scale public housing reconstruction project located about 15 minutes from Gifu City by car. Four women architects were selected under the coordination of Japanese architect Arata Isozaki to execute the projects. This L-shaped Wing designed by architect Kazuyo Sejima sits on the south-east part of the site where the idea for the overall layout of the development was to run the buildings around the perimeter.

 

Site Layout Plan

 

Design Concept and Principles
 

The Sejima Wing housing units has been designed with a relatively shallow depth. With such a depth, the ‘room’ becomes the only basic building block. 
 

Standard Floor Plan: 
‘Room’ as basic building block
 
These blocks are combined in a variety of ways to produce a multitude of apartment plans and sections, thus generating complex elevations. 
 

Blocks combined to create a multitude of apartment plans and sections
 
Each unit, consisting a few basic blocks, has provided with a courtyard-like terrace. The terraces create holes in the building through which the far side of the building can be glimpsed, thus reducing the visual impression of massiveness.
 

Terraces allow glimpse of far side

 

   
Modular Standardization
 

The use of ‘room’ as a modular building block is not difficult to understand in terms of standardization of major building components in any large scale housing development project. The basic principle of minimizing construction waste at the design level is achieved without doubt.

However, standardization of components and units in the design of high-rise buildings often results in undesirable monolithic volumes particularly in high density urban development. The solution to such a problem demonstrates the design possibilities which seldom surface in our surroundings. In this housing project, the building form has been twisted to run around the perimeter of the site, and the resultant form becomes less massive as in the case of a plain slab. The monolithic and monotonous characters in modular housing have been further broken down with various elements. Double-height spaces and terraces add characters to and punctuate the elevations in a complex yet rhythmic way.
 

 

Double-height spaces add characters to both the internal space and rhythmic elevations

 
Careful manipulation of spaces results in a variety of internal spatial configurations. Monotonous character has been dissolved and varieties generated while allowing the use of standardized components. All in all, it is the building form, internal spatial configurations and facade treatment that determine the resultant appearance of a modular standardized building.

Mass Customization of Spaces
 
The generated complex spatial configurations and elevations result in more complicated design and construction process. Each floor and each room thus require additional efforts and attentions from the initial design stages to the management of construction works. Although repetitious design of units and buildings has often been argued as a sound practice in terms of efficiency and economy while generating less construction waste, it shall not limit the possibilities of how we design the environment for ourselves the construction possibilities. Mass customization of spaces and building forms in the context of standardization and waste management become a new challenge. New challenges however demand and encourage the industry’s innovation and ability to move forward.
 

Mass customization of spaces generates rhythmic elevations yet demands new challenges

Conclusion
 

Resulting from the intention of standardization, modular design however does not necessarily generate monotonous buildings. It is illustrated here that standardization allows not only efficient and economic ways of construction, but also design varieties. If standardization and modular design is one solution to the mounting issue of construction waste, design varieties become the major challenge of tackling the issue. Besides architect’s imagination and innovative approaches to design, design varieties however do require additional efforts on designing every individual "variety". At the construction side, it demands more sophisticated construction management skills and practice. It is therefore both the architects and the contractors responsibilities to take a more proactive and innovative approach towards such a practice.

 

Reference
 
Levene, Richard and Fernando Marquez Ceilia ed. "Gifu Kitagata Apartment Building." Miscellany of others’ opinions and own prejudices about the World, the Devil and Architecture. ElCroquis 92 (1998): 138-153. 

Teramatsu, Yasuhiro ed. JA Yearbook 1998: Competition Results. Japan: Japan Architect, 1999. 

"Gifu Kitagata Apartments Second Phase." Shinkenchiku:2000 5 (May 2000): 93-109.
 
All images are cited from ElCroquis 92.

 

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