This project began with a request from two sisters who had inherited land facing the Nishijin shopping district and each wanted to build a rental housing complex. The first building, Duo East, was completed first, and the second building, Duo West, was completed one year later.
We wanted to present a new type of housing for working couples and singles who would prefer to live in the convenient and vibrant Nishi-Shin area, so we decided to slice the building into three, and to create even longer units from the north-south axis of the site.
The middle unit is a studio space that is as clean and free of clutter as possible. The bathroom and the deep balcony are also integrated to create a sense of spaciousness. Although the designers have repeatedly simulated how the residents would live in the house, the plan is basically left to the residents' own free will.
The units on both sides are U-shaped, with a central atrium surrounded by glass blocks, and light and air are guided through the atrium. Since the residents are not likely to be home during the daytime, the living room was placed in a secluded and quiet location, and the bedrooms were placed on the south side (street side) so that they would wake up energetically in the morning. The use of inverted beams allows light to flood not only the bedroom but also the bathroom behind it. The section connecting the north and south sides of the atrium is called a bridge rather than a corridor. The bridge is 1.4 meters wide, so it can be used as a study or as an extension of the living room, allowing the residents to express their lifestyles. The long north-south space is designed as a continuous space that is easy to use, and the bathroom door also serves as a transition between private spaces.
The penthouse on the top floor is a special residence that floats quietly above the bustling city. The open, partition-free space with a continuous 10-meter opening on the south side leads to a 100-square-meter deck terrace. This exhilarating feeling is even privileged.
While we hoped that the edgy and sharp outline of the building, along with the poured concrete finish, would bring a dignified air to the shopping district, we also wanted to avoid making the building too cool, given its location in the city. The aluminum cast panels on the facade create a moving lace of light and shadow, giving the building a varied and subtle expression, and the glass blocks embedded in the walls spill light like scattered stars at night. The project was abandoned to create a commercial space on the first floor due to a parking lot required by Fukuoka City ordinance, but instead, we decided to create and provide the city with a lush green environment, which is completely absent on this street.
