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A Very Unusual Home Perches over a Japanese Reservoir

An extremely unusual house focuses narrowly on the ribbon of view of a large body of green water.

Designed by  Suppose Design Office the house steps down on three floors over a reservoir in Fukuoka, south-west Japan, bringing the clients as close as possible to the cooling water below.

House in Hibaru allows the clients to feel as close to nature as they do to the city.

But standing up on the living area floor at the bottom, the water view still feels a little obscured.

It would seem that only when seated in the living room, would the view be any more generous.

The rooms inside step up gradually over three levels.

The bedrooms are on this floor, overlooking the living room and kitchen below.

The external walls are concrete, largely concealed beneath the deep overhang of the roof.

The unusual house seems very severe – very extreme.

You almost have to wonder if there is some really disturbing sight on the opposite river bank that must be avoided.

But then you walk inside and see how the wooden ceiling frames the serene water, just as water.

Very unique approach to a watery view. Truly zen.

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A Peaceful Courtyard City Dwelling for a Tokyo surgeon is Aptly Named

The client wanted a peaceful retreat as a space to rest his body and soul exhausted from his work as a surgeon in Yotsukaido City, Japan.

The brief was for privacy and quietness for the parents and three children to lead healthy lives.

Tokyo-based Apollo Architects & Associates, led by Satoshi Kurosaki created peace within with a two story home facing inward to three courtyards.

The family space on the second floor is a single wraparound space with full-height glazing on two sides.

Because the house is on a noisy street, chunky slabs of reinforced concrete are used to make a soundproof barrier outside the interior spaces.

The family experiences the space by crossing between inside and outside, through the central corridor and roof balcony connecting the main building and annex.

Each of the three courtyards have a different atmosphere.

The smallest, towards the back of the house is a narrow space outside the bathroom.

The garage is separated behind glass from the house, and offers only a glimpse of the nearby street life.

The cars park against rubber barricades.

Other than the parking space, and a glimpse of the tree in the courtyard through glass, almost nothing is visible from the outside. Thick concrete blocks the noise of the heavy traffic and automobile emissions.

Farthest from the street side is the kitchen.

It occupies the corner on the second floor.

Pristine white, it couldn’t be further removed physically and psychologically from the heavy traffic passing by.

Connecting the living spaces, the occupants can cross over on wooden ramps, through the tree canopy.

The wood outside is the perfect antidote to the traffic, enabling the client and his family to return to a slower pace of life, for the peace they need.

Fittingly, the peaceful house is named Still.

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Ductless Mini Splits Are Changing Design Trends

Interior Design & Architecture is an ever-evolving art form with new trends and styles emerging everyday from across the world. The latest trend in the vast majority of new constructions now is building energy efficient buildings that are both stylish and functional. When it comes to adding energy-efficient heating and cooling systems to new constructions, ductless mini splits are the leading the way new A/C systems. Here’s a few ways Ductless mini split systems are changing the design trends.

#1 Ditch the Duct Work

When most people think of central air conditioning systems they picture the A/C slits sitting in their individual rooms, wondering what those dark caverns in our walls and ceilings really hold? The truth is these A/C ducts that we’ve grown accustomed to are typically full of all kinds of gross things, including mold and other pollutants which get trapped and grow in these large duct areas.

A/C ducts are also often hard to clean/maintain and take up significant valuable ceiling space when planning for a new construction. The ductless mini split air conditioning system changes all of that by offering powerful and versatile central air conditioning without the costly and difficult to maintain duct work we are all so familiar with. Ductless a/c systems use very thin pipes to connect the “inverter” to the main system that is typically located somewhere outside. Here’s a graphic from PowerSave AC showing how this works:

As you can see, without any ductwork new and old constructions can now have a powerful and dependable heating/cooling solution with ductless mini split systems.

#2 Efficiency

Aside from the massive benefit of having the ability of delivering incredibly powerful a/c systems with no ductwork, ductless mini splits are also incredibly energy and cost efficient systems. Because of the lack of ductwork, the power from the outside unit loses almost no efficiency by the time it reaches the inverter. This means that you’re A/C system will run on average ~30% more efficiently than traditional A/C systems. This energy-efficient nature of ductless systems also makes a big difference on how these systems affect the environment. By producing more powerful air conditioning systems that use less electricity, ductless systems provide a green alternative to traditional less efficient alternatives. That means ductless mini split systems can help you save money and the environment, a true win-win!

#3Zone Control

Perhaps the most innovative feature that separates ductless mini split systems from the pack is the ability to have a multi-zone system that allows temperature to be controlled on a per room basis. Instead of using one large outside unit that simply pumps air through large ductwork systems, where efficiency and temperature control are much harder to attain, ductless mini split systems use individual inverters to allow full control of each room the operate in. Here’s a diagram showing how this works in more detail:

As you can see, this set-up allows for ultimate individual room temperature control which can be applied to a multitude of residential and commercial constructions. Here’s a few examples of ductless systems at work:

As you can see the trend towards Ductless Mini Split A/C systems is in full force and is only projected to grow!