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Fudomae Apartment with Six Voids 集合住宅 by Akira Koyama

Fudomae Apartment with Six Voids 集合住宅 by Akira Koyama is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 銅賞 in 建築・建物・構造物デザイン Competition Category.


銅建築· 2021

Fudomae Apartment with Six Voids 集合住宅

by Akira Koyama

Client: Key Operation Inc.

A' Design Award 銅賞 Winner in 建築 Category

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The Design

About Fudomae Apartment with Six Voids 集合住宅

「6つのヴォイドを持つ不動前アパートメント」は、東京に建つ全14戸・地上5階建ての集合住宅である。敷地は間口が狭く奥行きの深い形状で、奥行き17メートル、幅8メートルを測る。各ヴォリュームの四隅を切り欠くことで6つの垂直方向のヴォイドを生み出し、各住戸へ自然光を導いている。建物は前後2つのヴォリュームに分節され、その間には全階へ通じる階段を備えた開放的な廊下が設けられている。この廊下は6つのヴォイドをつなぎ、自然通風の経路としても機能する。街路に面するファサードはウォータージェットによる斫り仕上げを施した構造壁とし、居住者のプライバシーを守っている。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銅賞

Fudomae Apartment with Six Voids 集合住宅は、創造性、独創性、鋭い洞察力で際立つ傑出したデザインに授与される、高い権威をもつ評価である A' Design Award 銅賞の受賞作品です。銅賞の受賞作品は、十分に巧みで印象的なほど創造的な工芸品であり、デザイナーの豊富な経験、想像力、機知を裏づけています。Fudomae Apartment with Six Voids 集合住宅は、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される品であり、顕著にプロフェッショナルで革新的であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 銅賞を受賞したデザインは、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術のベストプラクティスを取り入れており、細部への配慮に優れています。Fudomae Apartment with Six Voids 集合住宅は、ニーズを見事に満たし、欲求に触れ、感情を魅了し、好奇心を引きつけます。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
A five-storey apartment complex of 14 units was developed for a parcel along a small local commercial avenue in Tokyo. To develop a parcel relatively deep with tight frontage in central Tokyo, the main theme for drawing the plan focused on supply of daylight and airflow throughout, while retaining density and thus enhancing rents. In this regard, a void to meet the local ordinance requirement of an evacuation route and additional voids were established.
Dimensions & Packaging
The site is a deep parcel with tight frontage, it measures 17 m to the back, 8 m in width. Site area is 155.07m2, Building area is 113.17m2, and Total floor area is 527.68m2. The building consequently comprises two volumes, front and rear, separated by open corridors installed with stairs ascending to all floors for access to the flats.
Tags
Apartment, Window, Voids, Post Coronavirus, Rental Complex, Pet, Cat Owners
Production Technology
Extruded cement panels are used for the wall rising above the outdoor passage in order to reduce the load. The street façade also rises four storeys as structural wall with a water-jet chipped finish. This distinctive expression faces the street and provides robust privacy for sleeping quarters behind the wall. The windows of the street-side voids are effectively set back, while the wall roughened by water jet draws passers’-by attention to enhance window privacy.
Design Challenge
The building code in Japan establishes standards for the specific planar area of openings with respect to the floor space of a room. For residential complexes, the area for openings must be at least 1/7 of the floor space of each room. In relation to the area of a window opening, the distance from the window to adjacent building and the height from the top of the building have a large impact on the calculated effective opening area.
Research
The number of pet cats in Japan is nearing 10 million in 2020. Lifestyle changes brought upon by Covid-19 have increased the desire for comfort from pets.
Important themes based on our Covid-19 experience prompt us to consider inclusion of outdoor space. This flat complex establishes voids for a deep parcel with poor air passage to the back in order to secure natural ventilation.
Inspiration
The four corners of each volume are notched to establish six vertical voids that bring light down into each unit for a heartening indoor environment. For a plan such as this, surrounded by buildings on neighbouring property all around, the lower floors for the new building are often unable to secure effective openings to draw sufficient daylight. The notched corners of each volume establish voids in front of neighbouring property and enable window openings facing the voids to provide effective daylight access that meets building code.
Project Duration
The project is located in Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The project was started in July 2019, and finished in July 2020.
Operation Flow
A typical studio flat plots the kitchen space and unitized bathroom that require plumbing to the left and right of a central corridor opening up into a bedroom in the back. The studio flats in this complex, however, arrange their bath area towards the core of their volume and corridor along an exterior wall. The respective corridors internally connect the six voids as thoroughfares of natural ventilation.
Team Members
Architect: Akira Koyama + KEY OPERATION INC./ARCHITECTS
Planning & development: ASCOT CORP.
Structure Engineer: Delta Structural Consultants
Service Engineer: Comodo
Contractor: Nakajima Kenko
Image Credits
All Images: Yoshifumi Moriya / Nacasa & Partners Inc.
Video: Akira Koyama / Key Operation Inc.

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