Personal Work

wabi-sabi HOUSE

Connecting Nature  

 OCC  •  Advisor: Lori Pullman  •  Learning from Japanese Architecture  •  Fall 2011

Human spirit naturally seeks an underlying order. This personal project attempts to perceive architecture as the medium to blur the distinction between inside and outside, connect consicousness and matter. The design is inspired by the integration of traditional and contemporary Japanese architecture. The primary goal of this project is to bring the "Zen" spirit into the living space. The stair acts as a spatial device to blur the distinction between inside and outside, connecting the private garden to the interior living space. Primarily natural materials are used to enrich the friendly and natural characteristics of the house. 

Floor Plans 

Living space is organized as a bar of space that is cut by the entrance hall leading to the tea house, but connected again at the second level.  Water is design to "flow" around the house, defining its perimeter, and connecting garden and interior space.

In Between

 The stair acts as a spatial device to blur the distinction between inside and outside, providing views from the inside toward the garden and bringing natural light into the living space.

Exploded Diagram 

Building system (left) and structural module (right). 

View from the entrance 

Flexible facade with operable wooden-louver panels filtering light and air into the building. 

View from the entrance 

Flexible facade with operable wooden-louver panels filtering light and air into the building.

Entrance Path & Section

View from the entrance 

Tea house is designed as the focal point from the entrance.