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Golden Prize |
| Stephanie Forsythe,
Todd MacAllen (Canada) |
| Category B Japanese
Style |
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The main idea of soft housing
is to provide a flexible, inventive relationship between
the open gathering space of the family and the private
rooms for sleep, study, contemplation and play. The
bedrooms/ private rooms are soft, flexible honeycomb
structures, each made from 500 layers of a light, strong,
white *paper like material (see next page for description).
These soft structures allow for making the most of space,
energy and material resources.
Dappled light (from sun and light fixtures) enters
the rooms through the depth of the honeycomb ceiling
in the familiar pattern of light found under the leafy
crown of a tree. The tubular structure of the honeycomb
acts as a field of small light pipes. Sunlight, bouncing
off a light shelf on the facade, rakes across the top
surface of the rooms, enters the honeycomb tubes, and
is internally reflected and absorbed through the depth
of ceiling and walls. The space is illuminated with
an ever-shifting blend of sunspots from direct light
and soft luminance reradiating from the 'paper- like'
structure. It is interesting that the pattern of electric
light falling through the honeycomb lattice subconsciously
triggers a sense or memory of sunlight. We have hung
one of the mock-ups of these ceilings over the worktable
in our studio and have been pleasantly surprised by
the psychological effect. The multi-layered 10"
thick honeycomb walls are excellent for sound absorption,
creating a private and tranquil sense of enclosure.
Niches and Alcoves carved into the thickness of the
wall reveal its depth in the shadows. There is also
an opportunity for LED or fluorescent lighting to be
located within the thickness of the walls. Light falling
onto the walls from windows or light fixtures is absorbed
and contained within its layers, giving off an inner
luminosity similar to a block of snow or ice. This adds
another dimension to the perception of space in the
room. We knew that we could not make the private rooms
large but we can accomplish something more important,
a quality of space and light that has life and a unique
sense of private enclosure to inspire the creativity
of a child with gentleness and infinite possibility.
Then there is the family gathering space, at the heart
of which is the kitchen. This space too is flexible
as a reciprocal of the space made with the private rooms.
The child or adults can shape all of the spaces of the
house in an organized or spontaneous way. Flexible partition
walls made from the same material, as the bedrooms are
located at both ends of the kitchen so that this environment
may be freely shaped and or one of the sculptural walls
can be pulled out to cover the kitchen work area. This
allows for the house to be abstracted and used as a
workspace or simply as a way of hiding a messy kitchen
during a more formal dining occasion for the family.
Between the laundry, sink, toilet and bath honeycomb
partition walls allow each function to be separated
off into it's own space with intimate sculptural effect.
At night the bedrooms appear as large, sculptural paper
lamps within the main family space, particularly when
only the child's room is expanded and parents are winding
down from their day, in the main space.
*At the time of this submission we have begun materials
testing and exploration with full size mock-ups from
fire retardant treated white tissue paper (shown on
presentation board). We would like to emulate the gentle
quality of light, structure and space created with the
tissue paper, but with a more durable material that
is easy to maintain. Together with a manufacturer, we
are testing a honeycomb structure made from sheets of
fine polyethylene fiber that is pressed into sheets.
This material is lightweight yet strong, smooth to the
touch, low linting, vapor permeable, yet water, chemical,
puncture, tear and abrasion resistant. The polyethylene
sheet with its fine lustrous fibers has translucence
and feels similar to paper (see detail images on presentation).
It is 100% recyclable and made with recycled material.
The polyethylene sheets can be fire retardant treated
to meet a flame spread of 20. One sheet is attached
to this report.
We hope that this work contributes to the discussions
and imaginations of the people involved with this competition
for housing beyond East and West and that you find this
design worthy of pursuit.
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| Comments by juries |
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Mendini: The project is most unique with its
interior. With a free design and transparent materials, the
rooms are poetic and sentimental in their atmosphere. One can
also tell that the project must have been designed by a woman.
Overall, the rooms smack strongly of the feminine mood. The
furniture, the ceiling, and the floor are subject to a wide
range of alteration. That is what makes this presentation unique:
You can change them by season or the time of day. The entire
house exudes a congenial and dreamy atmosphere. In fact, it
would not be easy to build such a house in practice, but it
is still within the reach of possibility with some supplementations.
Zhang: The work presented a new concept. It
was a design on new spaces that breaks from the existing concept
common in the present interiors. Employing new materials and
new process technology, the winner was able to come up with
a novel design that allows different divisions of the space.
With the mode of interior proposed in the work, you can adjust
the space to your liking, small or large, to achieve a variety
of space size and very flexible planning. Those who live in
such a space will be able to regulate the space freely according
to the change in season and their needs. The interior adopted
in the design is of materials that are translucent and subject
to folding to contract its size. When exposed to a ray of light
or an illumination, the effect of the interior doubles. It can
produce an artistic atmosphere to the satisfaction of people's
psychological needs. As the interior design also secures privacy,
I assume that it is appropriate for the Japanese who think highly
of one's own space in, for example, laying out furniture. Given
the division of the space and the concept of the work, I think
the interior is befitting of Japanese people. It is also modern.
Kim: Most interior designs that were presented,
or works in Category B, determined the plan of the apartment
first and then decorated the interior. However, this work was
distinctive as it didn't present any plans but instead showed
what interior designs are about. The designer didn't simply
stop at decorating the given space but took it a step further
to create a new space within the given space, and I thought
highly of it. In Japan, the traditional housing form is composed
of corridors as a basic frame with translucent paper wall partitions
built to create private spaces. Some atmosphere and cultural
aspects created by the traditional building method are well
represented with modern technology in this presentation. In
Category B, the proposal is a fine example of the design that
goes beyond East and West, the theme of this competition, in
that it expanded what interior design can do and exhibited what
a truly Japanese-style space is like through new, modern technology.
Sejima: We had three categories in this competition.
I find aspects of all three areas are incorporated in this work.
The material is like a curtain, but it was used more three-dimensional.
Thus, it works as a partition that divides the rooms and, with
its elements of design, lends itself to create diverse interior
environments. It may be understood in either way, that the size
of the rooms may change or that a new space can be created.
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