UID blends cosmic house with outdoor environment in japan

UID blends cosmic house with outdoor environment in japan
photo © hiroshi ueda
all images courtesy of UID

conceived by japanese architecture office UID (universal innovative design), ‘cosmic’ is a residence composed of spaces transparent to and surrounded by the outdoor environment. the project represents an attempt to bring humanity closer to world, and minimize the distinction between our constructed homes and the natural landscape. located on a hilly site, the structure is comprised of unified roof and wall elements overlapping to create dynamic spatial and lighting conditions.

the house blends white building forms, outdoor spaces, and plant life
photo © hiroshi ueda

the large white building forms are arranged in an east-west orientation, and are separated to allow indirect daylight as well as bands of direct sun. all spaces in the house are visually transparent to the exterior environment, while trees and plants are interspersed throughout. the scheme results in a consistently blurred boundary condition between indoor and outdoor.

the structure is comprised of unified roof and wall elements
photo © hiroshi ueda

photo © hiroshi ueda

the living area is enclosed mostly by glass, producing a space visually open to the outside
photo © hiroshi ueda

roof/wall forms are separated to allow for bands of direct sunlight to the interiors
photos © hiroshi ueda

trees and other plant-life are closely linked with all rooms of the house
photo © hiroshi ueda

photos © hiroshi ueda

photo © hiroshi ueda

photo © hiroshi ueda

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project info:

location: japan
completion date: april, 2014
site area: 2114.88 sqm
built area: 611.51 sqm
total floor area: 573.17 sqm
structural system: steel, reinforced concrete
materials: exterior – photocatalytic coating; interior – stone(flooring), synthetic resin coating, soil (wall, ceiling)
architects: UID / keisuke maeda
consultants: konishi structural engineers / yasutaka konishi, takeshi kaneko; toshiya ogino environment design office / toshiya ogino
general contractor: makoto construction co.ltd. / masahiro ikegami, mamoru yamaguchi
photography: hiroshi ueda