The House For Contemporary Art / F.A.D.S

Architects: F.A.D.S. – Fujiki Architectural Design Studio
Area: 137 m²
Year: N/A
Photography: Hiroshi Ueda
Structural Engineering: Yasutaa Konishi
MEP Engineering: Osamitsu Kagenaga
Electrical Engineering: Kazuo Shuto
Construction: Matsuda Koumuten Co., Ltd.
City: Fukui
Country: Japan

The House for Contemporary Art, a detached house designed by F.A.D.S. – Fujiki Architectural Design Studio, in Japan, has improved air circulation and responded to the snowy climate of the Japan Sea coast. completed in 2016, the structure is composed of white boxes that frame spaces like pictures, creating a seamless spatial composition.

The house for contemporary art / f. A. D. S

This award-winning project by Ryumei Fujiki and Yukiko Sato, renowned for “Aqua-scape” and “Artificial Topography,” received the Golden A’ Design Award in Architecture, building and Structure Design Category for 2015-2016. F.A.D.S. designed the home for an art appreciator and amateur artist who envisioned a “house like an art museum.” The structure, composed of white boxes of varying scale, frames spaces like picture, thoughtfully planned for air circulation and the harsh, snowy climate of the Japan Sea coast.

The home allows circulation through spaces to view the owner’s artwork collection as if walking through a museum. The design ensures passerby cannot see inside while letting in fresh air and sunlight, achieving a well-sequenced, multi-layered spatial composition. despite the home being made up of several differently sized cubes, the architects aimed for a seamless structure with spaces forming a single connected unit. a courtyard, accessible from the north-facing studio, was included to allow the client to draw from both the garden and the studio.

Fulfilling the client’s wishes was a top priority. The architects began by measuring the client’s as many artworks and held planning meetings to discuss display locations. They determined the height of the living room ceiling based on wall size, accommodating a painting over 1.5 x 1 meter. Besides the art collection, the client also had many old jazz record, requiring a display solution that showcased their jackets effectively.

The architects addressed environmental interaction, focusing on snow and airflow. Many homes in snowy regions rely on shoveling snow off the roof, which is labor-intensive and dangerous. Initially, a budget-conscious wood-framed structure with a gently-sloping roof was proposed to shed snow naturally.

Ultimately, influenced by the client, they opted for a flat roof with no parapet, kept snow-free by wind action. To encourage natural ventilation, they designed two gardens: one on the south side that warms up easily and one on the north side that remains cool, using a traditional design method from Kyoto townhouse.

The project aimed to fulfill the client’s wishes but also addressed broader societal issues. the architects believe their role includes responding to environmental problems with bold imagination, rethinking architectural practices. They seek inspiration from nature for sustainable solutions, aiming for architecture to grow closer to nature. While this ideal can’t be fully realized in one project, they plan to experiment with various approaches in future work to achieve a new kind of architecture.