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Inside, the rooms are organized around three outdoor patios, circular in shape. They function as extensions of the interior spaces as well as being light wells and large openings for the living quarters below and sleeping rooms above.

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A house for the sun
'Casa Trevo' or 'Trefoil House' is a two-storey residence, located south of Lisbon, Portugal. The site's close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean provides pleasant breezes and plenty of sunshine, across all seasons. The project sits in a forest of pine trees, rising tall above a sandy terrain.
Inside, the rooms are organized around three outdoor patios, circular in shape. They function as extensions of the interior spaces as well as being light wells and large openings for the living quarters below and sleeping rooms above.
The nine-meter high patios also perform as main structural voids in the form of three hollowed and semi-open columns. Together, they support a series of floor slabs ascending at different increments. They also hold a beam of water, serving as a lap pool on the rooftop and whose underbelly is pressing down on the spaces below.
The structure is made of cast-in-place concrete and plays off the ambiguity of mass and void and of inside and outside. It addresses the site by stepping the ground plane along its natural slope and by bringing that level difference inside. It is anchored into the ground firmly but irregularly around its perimeter vis-à-vis the terrain.
'Casa Trevo' exerts a peculiar sense of autonomy and monumentality, despite its small size. It is unified by concrete on the outside, subverting the perception of its scale, while serving as canvas for a dialogue between nature and architecture to be projected. It also exudes a solid impression of mass while revealing little of its inside. The house produces its own introverted world facing the sun, with private yet mutable spaces rendered intermittently by Lisbon's brash light.

Nine Design Strategies:

CONTRASTING SCALES (on scaling up and down)
In order to produce scalar shifts in the spatial disposition of the house, elements of different sizes are introduced to its massing. Some are more vertically pronounced, while others horizontally arranged to form an integrated concrete monolith of multiple notations of scales. Moments of tensions and compressions emerge as a result, creating, internally and externally, a range of dynamic and varied experiences of space.

GROUNDED SKY (on ground: response to site)
One of the design intents was to raise ground as roof and insert the space of the house under it, while keeping the terrain as untouched and natural as possible. By elevating the ground plane to the roof datum, a latent space is left open beneath for an exploration in section to take place. A duality between literal and conceptual ground establishes a first hierarchy between horizontality and verticality.
VOIDED STRUCTURE (on structure: vertical)
The structural imperative caused by lifting the ground towards the sky prompts an ensuing architectural idea for the house; the potential for an added experience of space provided by the inhabitation of its main structure, material and resulting forces. To this effect, three sizeable primal elements are introduced to support a newly defined roof-scape. This tripartite arrangement asserts the vertical axis as the major structural element, consequently liberating the slab.
SHATTERED SLAB (on slab: horizontal)
As walls come first, floor slabs are made second and independent from their traditional and rigid building sequence: slab, wall, slab, etc. Disintegrated into bits that are more attuned to their specific room sizes, the dominance of the horizontal datum has at last made way for a variety of volumetric spaces.
PLAIN GEOMETRY (on geometry: plan)
The role of geometry in the work is procedural and non-compositional; it is dynamic but not graphic. A relational framework serves as a regulatory plan diagram, a basis from which all parts relate and are integrated into a coherent whole. It is prescribed yet agile in adapting to various design evolutions until a solid formation is reached.
MASKED FAÇADE (on façades: openings)
The house doesn't take any posture towards its site. There are no privileged vistas, no distant horizon and no strict physical boundaries to address; no front, back or side divisions. In place, it negates its context by vertically addressing its immediate environment. The sky is the site's only vantage point, affirming the rooftop datum as the only façade for the project.
SUPERFICIAL MASS (on massing: volume)
To render the spatial and scalar concepts active in the house, an important design consideration was to retain the reading of the overall built mass. As little visual interference as possible had to be sustained in order to avoid the breaking down of volumes into disparate planes and surfaces. The detailing strategy adopted was to erase any presence of details or visual breaks which could distract from the perception of a holistic monolith.
CURTAINED WALL (on wall: detail)
The provision of blank canvases inside the elemental patios makes room for something more intricate to occur at a detail scale. Progressively folding in and out of the wall thickness of the patios, and calibrated to the specific lighting context, concrete corrugations are made into devices that delay the passage of time through a game of light and shadow.
INSIDE OUT (on space: interiority)
A series of photographs and films were commissioned to serve as an independent house study. They search for the first time how pure structure could become absolute space and vice-versa. Prior to inhabitation, they survey the existential qualities of the house created by the sole participation of natural sunlight with material, structure, mass, scale and space.

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A house for the sun 'Casa Trevo' or 'Trefoil House' is a two-storey residence, located south of Lisbon, Portugal. The site's close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean provides pleasant breezes and plenty of sunshine, across all seasons. The project sits in a

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SANAA. Okurayama Apartments, Yokohama, 2009

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SANAA. Okurayama Apartments, Yokohama, 2009

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From the exterior, the building maintains the rigid street wall of densely packed houses by meeting each corner of the lot with a sharp right angle, punctuated with several openings. s residents walk beneath a cantilevered mass the solidity of the exterior deteriorates into a courtyard framed by a complex arrangement of sinuous concrete curves.

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Today I will be looking at one of the residential projects to come out of the Sanaa office (though technically designed under Kazuyo Sejima & Associates), and one that encompasses many of the themes found in the more well known cultural projects the firm has completed.

The Okurayama Apartments, located in Yokohama and completed in 2009, aim to resolve the claustrophobic archetype of local housing. Whereas typical responses to high-density dwellings tend to maximize square footage while minimizing quality of life, this complex emphasizes transparency and a direct relationship with nature to create a unique sense of community and a healthy life-style for residents.

From the exterior, the building maintains the rigid street wall of densely packed houses by meeting each corner of the lot with a sharp right angle, punctuated with several openings.

This is where the standard form ends; as residents walk beneath a cantilevered mass the solidity of the exterior deteriorates into a courtyard framed by a complex arrangement of sinuous concrete curves.

The highly articulated courtyard walls vary on each of the three levels, and are individually accented with windows for each apartment, allowing occupants clear views and access to the planted areas. Units that do not open directly on to the inner court are provided with external terraces adjacent to the street in the upper levels.

Rather than residing in a redundant spaces identical to those that surround it, each dwelling has its own identity. The winding courtyard walls creates a unique layout, distinct relationship with the exterior and adjacent units, and individual views framed by carefully placed windows.

Larger, more gradual curves in the courtyard help foster an open sense of community between residents, while tighter arcs, and the small interstitial spaces they create, lend themselves to more private contemplative areas.

A similar effect is created on the interior, as the curved walls eliminate the need for standard partitions (though a couple of straight walls are provided for each unit for furnishing purposes) and provide residents with the unrestricted freedom to habitat their space as they see fit.

The end result is an apartment building that overcomes the crux of the anonymity of housing design, and providing residents with a prideful sense of ownership. To read more, see Learning From Japan: Single Story Urbanism and Sanaa Houses. Images via here and here. Previously: Sanaa 1

March 30, 2010, 8:53pm Permalink |

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Today I will be looking at one of the residential projects to come out of the Sanaa office (though technically designed under Kazuyo Sejima & Associates), and one that encompasses many of the themes found in the more well known cultural projects the firm has completed.

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I recommend exploring their work, they have a very sophisticated and humorous way of using materials to convey the purpose/narrative of every project.

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Office Building Lagerstrasse House, Europaallee 21 Zurich, Switzerland, 2007-2013, Competition 2006, 2nd Prize: consortium Gigon/Guyer Architects and David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin

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Reference: How to diagram Choreographing of Rain  in your project

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Reference: How to diagram Choreographing of Rain  in your project

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http://rozanamontiel.com/proyectos/domo-captador-agua/

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Tatiana Bilbao - Ways of Life. This is a good reference for how to create collages that communicate the intentions and experiences you are imagining for your project, as well as the relationships between inside and outside

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Tatiana Bilbao - Ways of Life. This is a good reference for how to create collages that communicate the intentions and experiences you are imagining for your project, as well as the relationships between inside and outside

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https://tatianabilbao.com/projects/ways-of-life

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Rozana Montiel - Habitáculos. A good reference for communicating your conceptual ideas through diagrams and models

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Rozana Montiel - Habitáculos. A good reference for communicating your conceptual ideas through diagrams and models

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http://rozanamontiel.com/investigaciones/habitaculos/

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https://oma.eu/projects/villa-dall-ava

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https://www.archdaily.com/922513/patios-house-rama-estudio

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The Pinch Library and Community Centre, John Lin + Olivier Ottevaere, 2014

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The Pinch Library and Community Centre, John Lin + Olivier Ottevaere, 2014

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https://www.archdaily.com/499654/the-pinch-library-and-community-center-olivier-ottevaere-john-lin/535869cac07a805db700005c-the-pinch-library-and-community-center-olivier-ottevaere-john-lin-image

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Riverside Clubhouse, TAO - Trace Architecture Office, 2010

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Riverside Clubhouse, TAO - Trace Architecture Office, 2010

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https://www.archdaily.com/204840/riverside-clubhouse-tao?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=more-from-office-article-show

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Ludic stairs at Amsterdam Museum, Constant, 1969.

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Ludic stairs at Amsterdam Museum, Constant, 1969.

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https://stichtingconstant.nl/documentation?title=ludic+stairs&year=&combine=&type=All

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Administrative building Jeju national University, Kim Chung-up, 1965

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Administrative building Jeju national University, Kim Chung-up, 1965

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https://architectureofdoom.tumblr.com/post/177480792313/amp

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https://www.archdaily.com/592660/nest-we-grow-college-of-environmental-design-uc-berkeley-kengo-kuma-and-associates

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The work of Frei Otto (textile architecture), MoMA publication in pdf

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The work of Frei Otto (textile architecture), MoMA publication in pdf

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https://assets.moma.org/documents/moma_catalogue_2662_300299029.pdf

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http://www.garciabarba.com/cppa/museo-de-silkeborg-jorn-utzon/?lang=en

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Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum, Peter Zumthor, 2016

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Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum, Peter Zumthor, 2016

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https://www.archdaily.com/796345/allmannajuvet-zinc-mine-museum-peter-zumthor/57ed0ce4e58ece20450001ac-allmannajuvet-zinc-mine-museum-peter-zumthor-photo

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https://www.frac-centre.fr/_en/art-and-architecture-collection/nishimoto-taeg/plot-house-317.html?authID=187&ensembleID=933

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https://www.frac-centre.fr/_en/index-authors/rub/rubprojects-317.html?authID=187&ensembleID=932&oeuvreID=3040

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Zipup House, Sue and Richard Rogers, 1967-69

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Zipup House, Sue and Richard Rogers, 1967-69

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https://www.rsh-p.com/projects/zipup-house/

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Mountain Cabin, Marte.Marte Architects, 2011

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Mountain Cabin, Marte.Marte Architects, 2011

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https://www.archdaily.com/407047/mountain-cabin-marte-marte-architekten

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https://www.archdaily.com/323302/house-of-would-elii

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https://www.archdaily.com/126651/ad-classics-endless-house-friedrick-kiesler

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San Francisco State College Student Union, Moshe Safdie, 1967-68

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San Francisco State College Student Union, Moshe Safdie, 1967-68

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https://cac.mcgill.ca/moshesafdie/large/cac_sfsc_student_union.pdf

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https://www.mvrdv.nl/projects/158/expo-2000

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ramps and hidden room, Lindsay Krug, 2015

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ramps and hidden room, Lindsay Krug, 2015

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https://www.instagram.com/p/8wpa5sqYIj/

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A Path in the Forest,Transsolar & Tetsuo Kondo Architects, 2011

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A Path in the Forest,Transsolar & Tetsuo Kondo Architects, 2011

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https://www.archdaily.com/551427/a-path-in-the-forest-transsolar-and-tetsuo-kondo-architects

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Willow Theater / Tim Lai Architect + Brad Steinmetz Stage Design, 2013

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Willow Theater / Tim Lai Architect + Brad Steinmetz Stage Design, 2013

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https://www.archdaily.com/440635/willow-theater-tim-lai-architect-brad-steinmetz-stage-design

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Penetrable Series, Jesús Soto (kinetic art)

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Penetrable Series, Jesús Soto (kinetic art)

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(instead of steel or plastic hoses, these could be hanging strips of tent textile or plastic poles from the tent you walk through instead?)
https://publicdelivery.org/jesus-rafael-soto-penetrables/

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Galvani House, Christian Pottgiesser - architecturespossibles, 2002

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Galvani House, Christian Pottgiesser - architecturespossibles, 2002

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https://www.archdaily.com/17339/galvani-house-architecturespossibles

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https://www.archdaily.com/71/wall-house-far-frohnrojas

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Sonsbeek Pavilion in Arnhem, Aldo Van Eyck (1966)

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Sonsbeek Pavilion in Arnhem, Aldo Van Eyck (1966)

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http://socks-studio.com/2013/11/18/sonsbeek-pavilion-in-arnhem-aldo-van-eyck-1966/

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From Picasso to Noguchi, 11 Artists Who Designed Spectacular Playgrounds

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From Picasso to Noguchi, 11 Artists Who Designed Spectacular Playgrounds

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The Japanese-American sculptor and designer, known for his biomorphic sculptures made of natural materials, began planning landscapes for children as early as 1933. But it would be decades before one of 's designs was realized in the United States. The artist encountered a series of obstacles in New York, ranging from safety concerns to the onset of World War II. During those decades Noguchi continued to hone his vision of a space that would spark creativity and adventure, encouraging children to explore the natural world rather than expressly directing an activity. "I think of playgrounds as a primer of shapes and functions; simple, mysterious, and evocative; thus educational," he wrote in 1975. His first (and only) American playscape fills a one-acre space in Atlanta's Piedmont Park with colorful metal and concrete structures, including climbing blocks, a low circular mound, and a stepped tower.

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11 Famous Artists Who Designed Spectacular Playgrounds

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The Japanese-American sculptor and designer, known for his biomorphic sculptures made of natural materials, began planning landscapes for children as early as 1933. But it would be decades before one of 's designs was realized in the United States. The artist encountered a series of obstacles in New York, ranging from safety concerns to the onset of World War II.

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House of the Future, Allison & Peter Smithson, 1956

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House of the Future, Allison & Peter Smithson, 1956

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https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/articles/issues/2/what-the-future-looked-like/32734/1956-house-of-the-future

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https://www.minniemuse.com/articles/musings/noguchi-playground

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https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/casa-en-kita-kamakura-9

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https://divisare.com/projects/333083-bolles-wilson-suzuki-house

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You will need to draw in the experience of rain in your project, these are good diagrams to get started! Notice in particular the figure with the umbrella

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You will need to draw in the experience of rain in your project, these are good diagrams to get started! Notice in particular the figure with the umbrella

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https://at1patios.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/otros-patios/

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Dutch Pavilion, 1939 World's Fair, New York: model of photographic display of swimming and diving

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Dutch Pavilion, 1939 World's Fair, New York: model of photographic display of swimming and diving

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https://www.architecture.com/image-library/RIBApix/image-information/poster/dutch-pavilion-1939-worlds-fair-new-york-model-of-photographic-display-of-swimming-and-diving/posterid/RIBA73452.html