| Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka Architects Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:50 PM PDT Takeshi Hosaka Architects have designed the Daylight House in Yokohama, Japan. 
. Description from the architect: This is a house in which residents live under natural lighting from the sky. The site is five minutes walk from the railway station, and it is surrounded by a mixture of detached dwellings and 10-floor condominiums and office buildings. In this location nested in a valley between buildings, the light streaming down from the sky above felt precious. A couple with two children planned to build their home in this spot. The building was structured by laying a basic grid (approx. 1500mmx1600mm) over the site, and using a the volume of a single high-ceilinged room with a bedroom, kids' room and study partitioned off using fittings approximately half the height of the ceiling. The expanse of the entire ceiling can be felt from any room. Light from 29 skylights (approx 700mm square) installed in the roof illuminate the room as soft light diffused through the curved acrylic ceiling plates. The direct light falling from the clear square skylights cuts a distorted square image on the curved acrylic ceiling. At the same time, the entire curved acrylic ceiling is uniformly lit with white light by selecting the distance between the skylights and the curved acrylic ceiling, their size, the color of the acrylic and the color of the interior panels after studying models and mockups to achieve the desired effect. There is an air space between the acrylic surface and the roof, and forced air is used to eject air heated by the sun in summer out of the building, while movement of the air is stopped in winter to use the air layer as a thermal buffer to ensure the thermal environment indoors is stable. Upon entering the building, there is so much light from the sky that it is hard to believe that the site is nested in a dark valley created by buildings. This house was named "Daylight House." Daylight does not simply indicate light from the sun, but refers to the beautiful light throughout the day. The day begins with the rising sun, which then falls and sets, followed by the rising moon which gradually wanes until it is replaced by the rising sun the next day. The house provides a rich experience of the beauty of the light over 24 hours.                                                      Visit the Takeshi Hosaka Architects website – here. Photography by KOJI FUJII / Nacasa & Partners Inc. . .  |
| Adidas Office Interior by KINZO Posted: 22 Sep 2011 01:57 AM PDT KINZO have designed a new office interior working environment and furniture system for the Adidas corporation’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. 
. Description from the designers: Round about 1,700 adidas' staff members have moved into a new working environment at the corporation's headquarters in Herzogenaurach, a building distinguished by an exterior and an interior which strike new paths – literally: Glass walkways cross the inner courtyard, intertwining like the laces of a sport shoe. The Berlin-based design team KINZO translated kadawittfeldarchitektur's communicative architectural concept into a custom-made furniture and interior design which is "pure adidas" both in form and function. WORKOUT opens up new realms of creativity and possibilities for team play – and displays folders, textiles, balls and shoes with the visual quality and continuity of a film set. The "Teamplayer" serves as the arrangement's centerpiece – the multi-functional room module does not only serve as a support for desktops and storage. It also enables to zone and structure different kinds of team areas within the open office. The distinct rhomboid side panels of the Teamplayer create the impression of a honeycombed "space within a space", transparent and airy but also clearly staked off as the workspace of a particular team. Whether Teamspace, Slotty or Wheels – as characteristic for every team effort, no WORKOUT element works entirely on its own. All parts are functionally and esthetically designed to work together: furniture as a team! In workshops with adidas' staff members the WORKOUT system was directly "tailored" to meet the users’ needs. WORKOUT is manufactured by renowned German office furniture specialist Planmöbel. In cooperation with KINZO, they have also been able to venture into new directions in regard to materials and surface structures: The entire furniture system is being refined with an environmentally friendly powder-coated finish. The result: Every WORKOUT furniture has been coated and sealed with a monolithic surface.                               Visit the KINZO website – here. Photography by Werner Huthmacher and Volker Bültmann .  |
