DBEW International Design Competition

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Winners

Grand Prix	<1>
Golden Prize	<1> <2>
Silver Prize	<1> <2> <3> <4> <5> <6> <7> <8> <9> <10> <11> <12>

Golden Prize

Stephanie Forsythe, Todd MacAllen (Canada)

Category B Japanese Style

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.

Comments by juries

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.