Wednesday 2 November 2011

The Layered House

Tectonics in architecture can be seen as combining fundamental elements that affects the whole structure when constructed. The kaidan dansu relates to tectonics in that it serves one of the most essential and functions of life, performed most commonly by light: hiding and revealing space.

The Layered House by Jun Igarashi Architects, is a project located in Hokkaido, Japan, that analogically relates to the kaidan dansu. It is built in an old city along a street where warehouses and farms are located. This house is designed for a family of four and the architects goal was to connect the outer space with the interior, by creating series of rectangular cuts through walls which allow the natural exterior light to project inwards.

This function of hiding and revealing space, is fundamental to all facets of architecture, as light is the canvas upon which a space may be built, however a lack of light will leave the form of a space undefined and hidden. This notion of the absence of light hiding fragments of a space, relates directly to the kaidan dansu's ability to hide the floor of a house. In other words, the kaidan dansu is analogous to a light switch, having the ability to control the extent of one's knowledge of a particular space. The light defines the function of the space and also the negative space, what is empty. The illumination from the skylight shows layers in itself, and it creates the illusion of layering and depth, and defines all the fragments.

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