Microhome 2024 Competition
Participants: Chen Yu (Concept Design, Concept Diagram, Construction Drawing, Construction Axon)
Lyuxin Liu (Concept Design, Concept Diagram, 3D Rendering)
Borrow the Breeze
Kyoto, Japan
2024
©2024 Lyuxin Liu
© Lyuxin Liu
©2024 Lyuxin Liu
We open up the boundary, so we may access the mud; we lift the surface, so we can see through the sun; we sofen the edge, so we shall breathe with fresh air.
We propose the design that aims to enhance the connection to nature and alleviation from the concentrated contemporary living space by considering the roof as the major component of space manipulation and borrowing the natural resources we lack from the existing environment through the ascending and descending roofs.
The Site
Playground The folding panel system is the major focus of the design. In order to experiment the functionality and applicability of it, we chose a site located in Kyoto, Japan, where historical culture and modern society encounter and burst into a pure land away from the hustle and bustle of a modern city. However, under the influence of globalization and modernization, the densification of the city is unstoppable. Hence, it becomes a perfect place to research and apply the new architectural method which aims to alleviate the sense of dense within limited space and vivify the living environment with the breeze.
The project includes demolition and renovation of an existing residential building, which aims to maximize the intake of fresh air within limited square footage. The original building after demolition provides major structure to the new-built. And the renovation transform the residential space into green space. By lifting and dropping (folding and unfolding) the roof component, architectural space is transformed three-dimensionally. Such change allows natural elements to sneak into the building, thus maximizing the experience of the living environment within limited architectural space, while privacy can still be maintained by closing the roof system.
This project includes three phases of design:
The walls and roofs are proposed to be demolished, leaving the structure to remain. The 25 m2 single family home is proposed to be built according to the existing columns and beams in two phases of new construction. Green spaces are introduced during the time of demolition and will remain during and after new construction is done, providing exceptional exterior experience.
The project includes demolition and renovation of an existing residential building, which aims to maximize the intake of fresh air within limited square footage. The original building after demolition provides major structure to the new-built. And the renovation transform the residential space into green space. By lifting and dropping (folding and unfolding) the roof component, architectural space is transformed three-dimensionally. Such change allows natural elements to sneak into the building, thus maximizing the experience of the living environment within limited architectural space, while privacy can still be maintained by closing the roof system.
This project includes three phases of design:
- Demolition Phase
- Phase I New Construction
- Phase II New Construction.
The walls and roofs are proposed to be demolished, leaving the structure to remain. The 25 m2 single family home is proposed to be built according to the existing columns and beams in two phases of new construction. Green spaces are introduced during the time of demolition and will remain during and after new construction is done, providing exceptional exterior experience.
Original Building Building Demolition Existing to Remain New Construction Phase I New Construction Phase II
The Building
Motion of Exterior The folding wall panel system is designed to achieve the movability of roof components along the rail attached to the Kingspan UniQuad Polycarbonate wall panel. The wall panel is made of semi-transparent plastic material that allows folding and unfolding happen seamlessly, which enables the space, enclosed or not, always have transparency and continous connection to the external environment while maintain privacy as needed.
The movable roof components are supported by the tensile connection on the stationary roof hidden at the back of the rail. Such tensile system is generated by electricity and provides verical force to lift and drop the roof components under different conditions. The elevator panel inside the unit is using the same system.
By folding and unfolding the wall panel, the roof panel gets dropped and lifted, which creates adverse interior experiences that expands the territory of space within limited building area.