AZB by Geneto

Japanese architects Geneto used screens decorated with grooves to divide this Tokyo apartment.

Called AZB, the project involved renovating an apartment for rental, and comprises a black bedroom and white multiple-use space separated by sliding screens.

More screens are used to hide or reveal the kitchen equiment and and storage.

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Photographs are by Takumi Ota.

The information below is from Geneto:

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AZB apartment

The switch of ordinary and extraordinary life

For this renovation project in a rental apartment block, we had many limitations. Enclosing only 45m2 floor space and being 40 years old, the structure did not allow us much scope to alter the layout.

We were also restricted by the fact that the entire North façade is glass.

Additionally given the layout of the services, drastic alteration of the bathroom was not possible.

These constraints provided us with our point of departure.

This project was our first rental space and, due to the multi-user nature of its use, required a highly objective design approach.

But were we to acquiesce to public opinion, or unsympathetically impose our own ideals?

It was imperative that the design cater for a variety of users, so in order to solve this conundrum we considered the bare essentials for living and saw how those cold be provided for.

The apartment consists only of a bedroom and a multi-use space.

The space is enclosed by sliding panels that shift into place to conceal those objects which we find commonplace and banal. They convert the everyday into the extraordinary.

The potential of fittings

While considering the design of the panels, we looked to a traditional Japanese architectural application called Fusuma.

Fusuma is the art of decorating room dividing panels with scenes of nature to create the impression that one is living outdoors enveloped in nature. We abstracted this concept and applied it to the dividing panels.The composition of lines draws inspiration from the silhouette of the surrounding mountains and from the city skyline – which has become our new nature.

By this we have elevated that which tends to be lifeless to a new level of meaning, rich with emotion. Yet the Fusama do not only provide emotional needs of the space but also the functional. The carved lines are at once handles and crevices for coat hangers which would otherwise protrude from the panels and compromise the simplicity of the space.

This use of the Fusuma creates a balance between the disparity of function and emotional impact.

Switch by Yuko Shibata

Japanese designer Yuko Shibata created separate living and working areas in this Tokyo apartment by installing two mobile walls.

Called Switch, the project features one partition that slides out over the dining table to create a meeting room on one side and library on the other.

The second bookcase pivots round at the end of the day to reveal a bedroom.

Photographs are by Ryohei Hamda.

Here are some more details from Shibata:

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SWITCH

This is the interior design of a single home office.

This room was previously used as a residential space.

It was the owner’ s intent that the floor plan could be changed to completely separate the living and office sections.

This request was rendered impossible, due to the original structure being of box frame type reinforced concrete construction, with almost all walls acting as supporting building frames.

The addition of two bookshelves, each with a large door, allowed us to create a space with the ability to adapt from home to office or from office to home, while leaving the original floor plan intact.

The first bookshelf was added to the meeting room. By moving the large door, the meeting space can be divided in two.

The space on the side of the bookshelf becomes a library. The large door also includes an opening in order to allow it to pass over the dining table.

In this way, the table is shared between the library and meeting spaces.

The second addition was in the bed room.The opening in the bookshelf creates a passage making it possible to approach the shelf from the office, without passing through the bedroom.

When the door is opened, it creates a partition between the the bedroom and study, and also has the effect of changing the space to a library.

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Principal Use: home and office
Category: Renovation

Barker Residence by Davidclovers

This staircase curls between two floors of an apartment designed by Hong Kong studio Davidclovers.

Called Barker Residence, the home commands a view over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour.

Twisting and sloping walls join together storage, entertainment systems and a fireplace, with the floor and lower part of the walls finished in wood.

See all our stories featuring spectacular staircases »

Here’s some more information from the architects:

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BARKER RESIDENCE (2010) by davidclovers

At eye-level with the top of IFC, the tallest building in Hong Kong, the Barker Residence holds stunning views of Victoria Harbor.

The project is the first of a series of projects designed by davidclovers for a developer of residential properties in Hong Kong.

The basic approach is to hone in on the most potent areas of the existing layout, and enhance them.

At Barker Residence, davidclovers reworks the unit horizontally and vertically using a series of subtly inflected walls and artificially-lit ceilings to bend space around corners and through floors.

The design thoughtfully subdues the palatial scale of the flat while delicately intensifying its hidden potentials.

The existing vestibule is broken open to the full panorama of the skyscrapers along the “fragrant harbor”, gently combining the living area and entry. Subtly twisting walls organize various elements such as cabinetry, fireplace, desk and TV.

A stair unfurls to interlock the lower and upper levels. It is washed in an effervescent glow from a custom-designed chandelier above. Previously cave-like bathrooms are thrust into spaces capturing views.

The kitchen, bar and dining areas are cracked open and lit above by textured glowing ceilings.

Design: davidclovers
Design Team: David Erdman, Clover Lee, Mui Fuk Man, Jason Dembski, Damien Hannigan, Katrina Lee, Spencer Mak
CLIENT: Ample Source Holdings Ltd.
LOCATION: The Peak, Hong Kong
TYPE: 4000 sf townhouse renovation

House DE by Davidclovers

Hong Kong studio Davidclovers have covered the interior of this house in aluminium strips to create patterns of light and shadow that change throughout the day.

Situated at Clearwater Bay in Hong Kong and called House DE, the design merged two existing homes into one, joined by three staircases.

The undulating fins admit natural light through the ceiling during the daytime while emitting artificial illumination at night.

Photographs are by Almond Chu.

Here’s more from the architects:

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Davidclover

House DE is an “infill” townhouse, spectacularly sited on a hillside above Clearwater Bay, Hong Kong.

Combining two existing units into one, the design uses the volumes of three staircases to blend, burrow and interlock spaces vertically across four floors.

Each “interaction” is materially monolithic, using stone, wood and a series of delicate aluminum fins.

Defined by these fins, the texture and form of the lantern-volume subtly changes shape and depth, casting shadow and emitting light in different ways throughout the day.

Each stair-volume pries open the house vertically and horizontally, pulling in daylight and emitting artificial light.

Thickening the existing building enclosure and stretching it across the front and rear, the bedrooms and new master suite on the upper floors are protected from the elements, yet opens up to views of the natural surroundings.

Towards the South, the facade thickens and torques, providing shade for bedrooms and balconies; while on the North, the facade transforms into a garden trellis for an outdoor dining terrace.