Notable Features |
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Modular
standardization |
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Half-void
slab system |
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Half-circles
ceiling system |
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Use of
wavy glass panels |
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Use of
moveable partitions and furniture |
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Unique
rhythmic pattern |
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C&D
waste minimization |
Basic
Information |
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Location:
Gifu, Japan |
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Structure
: Reinforced Concrete |
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Building Type: 10-Storey Public Housing Reconstruction |
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Completion:
March 1998 (1994-1998) |
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Building
Area: 639 m2 |
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Total
Floor Area: 4,843 m2 |
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Architect: Akiko
+ Hirosi Takahashi / Workstation and Tsukasa Sekkei |
Overview |
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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 linear Wing
designed by architect Akiko and Hirosi Takahashi sits on the
north-west part of the site where the idea for the overall layout of
the development was to run the buildings around the perimeter. |
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Site Layout
Plan
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The
Takahashi Wing housing units has been designed with a
relatively shallow depth in which a half-void slab system has
been employed. The resultant ceiling is composed of continuous
series of half-circles giving the building a style of its own.
Wavy glass panels are employed between the housing units and
the boundary wall, avoiding the creation of a ‘light/dark’
hierarchy across the north- south living spaces. |
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Half-circle
structural slab |
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Units
are designed with different room types, with division by
movable partitions and movable furniture, allowing freedom in
the determination of both the character and use of the room. |
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Unit
Plans:
Modularity and Partitions |
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Modular
Standardization |
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The room
type unit plans can be considered as a means of
standardization, in which all spaces are based on co-ordinated
dimensions. Although such a co-ordinated dimensioning is
applied in a mid-rise linear apartment block, which imposes a
different constraints and opportunities as oppose to Hong Kong
residential towers, it shall be considered as a basic
principles in building design.
The uses of movable partitions and movable furniture allow
freedom of rearrangement of apartment layouts. The
appropriateness of such a provision largely depends on the
living style of the users, yet the wider application of the
idea might contribute significantly to the design and
construction of housing units in Hong Kong context. The
internal layout with employed movable partitions allows
adaptation of the apartment to new uses, new users, and
changing family composition without resulting in generation of
much C & D waste. The acceptability of movable
partitioning depends mainly on the type of occupier, some of
whom might even find it interesting. On the other hand, the
fixed brick wall largely used as internal non-load bearing
wall often requires the users to adapt their living style and
pattern to the "designed" layout. If such a fixed
layout can no longer be adapted to, the unit will usually be
refurbished resulting in generation of additional C & D
waste. |
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Slab System |
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The half-void
slab system employed generates a pattern of continuous series of
half-circles on the ceiling uniquely for the users of the building.
Such a uniquely integrated pattern, which can also be seen from
outside, creates a visual excitement and adds character for both the
inside and outside. Some of the slabs are further extended to form
the balconies of certain units in a rhythmical way generating an
external pattern uniquely of its own. The pattern is further
enriched by the light and shades cast from the structurally
integrated balconies. The monolithic image of the building block is
dominated by the rhythmic pattern and structural expression, and
thus being dissolved.
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Extended slabs
form balcony, view from inside
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Conclusion
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It is clear from
this building that the employment of coordinated dimensioning does
not trade off the possible rhythmic pattern in modular building
design. In addition, standardized design also does not trade off the
adaptability of a space. Although each unit is standardized based on
a coordinated dimension, the internal usage and character of all
the units are varied. Each unit is being adapted to the style and
preference of the user and such a preference shall or shall not be
pre-determined is still debatable. However, it can be considered as
a means of reducing C & D waste in the long run.
On the other hand, there is a potential of aesthetic expression
inherent in the structural elements as illustrated in this built
example. The structural elements can possibly be employed as a means
of architectural expression and generate a character of its own
along with the standardized design.
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Reference
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Teramatsu,
Yasuhiro ed. JA Yearbook 1998: Competition Results. Japan: Japan
Architect, 1999.
"Gifu Kitagata Apartments Second Phase." Shinkenchiku:2000
5 (May 2000): 93-109. |
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All images are cited from Japan
Architect
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