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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.

Seto in Hiroshima, Japan by Mount Fuji Architects Studio

 
November 28th, 2014 by Sumit Singhal

Article source: Mount Fuji Architects Studio

A shipbuilder’s company housing on a cliff that views beautiful and calm Seto Inland Sea, where small islands float. This project is expected to revitalize a local industrial city while serving as comfortable accommodations for 37 families. On the roof that extends from ground level uphill, the rooftop plaza, a rare public space in the hilly town spreads.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

  • Architects: Mount Fuji Architects Studio / Masahiro Harada + MAO 
  • Project: Seto
  • Location: Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan
  • Photography: Ken’ichi Suzuki
  • Software used: vectorworks, Illustrator
  • Design Team: Naoto Ishii, Tetsuya Mizukami
  • Client:TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co.,Ltd.
  • Principal use: Company housing
  • Site area: 1934.84m2

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

  • Building area: 1098.38m2
  • Total floor area: 3095.74m2
  • Structure:Reinforced concrete
  • Interior: Concrete(form:Larch plywood,lauan plywood),MDF, Oak flooring
  • Design: 2010.10 – 2011.8
  • Construction: 2011.10 – 2013.3
Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

The town is poising on steep hill. On the hilltop are village forests, downhill, is ocean. Lack of flatland deprived the residents of enough public space to gather and hold events. Taking advantage of slope topography, we tried to create a public space architecturally.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

What we planned was three-layered structure for habitation half overhanging a cliff. The rooftop with a superb view of Seto Inland Sea has direct access from the north road via the grand stair, and is made open to the public as a rooftop plaza. Under the overhang is another public space with a close atmosphere that covers people from rain.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Two light courts that reminiscent of Cave Dwellings in China are at the same time used as paths to move down to the residential area. They let enough light and breeze in otherwise dreary central hallway and drastically improve lighting and ventilation in there and each room.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

A shape like a ship that waits for its launching ceremony is not just a design. It’s a figure that embodies true balance of architectural autonomy, requirements from the city, environment, structure and economy and echoes with a ship, an existence that finds its identity in “balance”.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Technical explanation 

Foundation piles had to get enough distance from the cliff edge in order to create a large public space on the roof without stressing weak cliffs. So we adopted cantilever erection method. The adaptation was enabled by “continuous structural walls” that function as 3-story-high beams, and “prestressed concrete (PC) cables” that run in them curved, tensed according to the stress.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Efficiency of a method to put PC cable in the curved line has already been confirmed theoretically. However the method hasn’t virtually been applied even in the world due to the difficulty in practice. Means, this was the leading-edge technical trial. With this technical breakthrough, I’ m sure this new rational structure would be a common one.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Let me add as aside that the tower residence part with a splendid view serves as a counter weight to stabilize the balance-shaped cantilever building volume.

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken'ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Ken’ichi Suzuki

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

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Categories: Housing Development, Illustrator, Residential, Vectorworks




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