Project Overview

This is a 42-year-old house. The original building has a complex split-level closed layout, and the front has three floors and the back has four floors. The designer breaks through the restriction of traditional isolated floors, uses the hollow design to maintain the communication of line of sight between the upper and lower floors, creating a highly interactive and transparent vertical space with more fun, and enhancing the emotional connection and educational exchange of the four family members of the house owner. The architecture has both traditional and modern resonance, deeply integrating the local culture, and also gives the symbol of traditional Chinese garden architecture, to form a multi-cultural immersive experience with modern integration.

Organisation

LUO JIAO DESIGN

Team

Jheng Pei Yi

Project Brief

Rooted in the rhythm of nature and cultural memory, this residence reinterprets traditional aesthetics through contemporary spatial language. Inspired by the daily cycle from sunrise to sunset, the architecture adopts full and semi-circular forms to echo natural rhythms, while creating poetic moments of light and shadow throughout the day.

Drawing from Taiwan’s past and the homeowner’s emotional sensibility, the interior blends retro materials with geometric pop art forms. A circular moon gate connects the dining area and courtyard, framing views of sunlight, rain, and moonlight—inviting everyday life into a serene dialogue with nature.

Project Need

The overall space emphasizes the pure living atmosphere of returning to nature, and pays homage to the Taiwanese architect Wang Da Hong and the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Drawing on the spatial term of "circle" from Wang's architecture, the window hole and moon gate derived from the traditional Chinese gardens in Suzhou are cleverly applied to the exterior of the building, the side wall of the living room, and the partition wall of the patio, to show the frame aesthetics of natural scenery into the interior. The circular element also gives the meaning of sunrise and sunset, reproducing the Oriental Zen of natural symbiosis.

In the material, the use of concrete imitated paint, to pay tribute to Ando Tadao's insistence on the spirit of craftsman, while supplemented by the collected out-of-print old tiles, terrazzo and other retro elements, to combine with the native local life memory. The pure and simple nature of the space presents a simple and profound philosophy of life, responding to the elegant and pure serenity of "Pure Serenity".

Design Challenge

The original split-level disadvantage is transformed into the biggest highlight of family interaction and space connection. Through the transparent design of the stairs, the emotional communication between the upper and lower floors is more natural and frequent. In terms of design, the traditional Chinese and retro elements are transformed into modern style, and the concept of "round window framed scenery" of Suzhou gardens is cleverly introduced to create a quiet atmosphere of Oriental Zen, and the Taiwanese retro elements are incorporated, combined with the pop art in 1960s, to create the situation change with a sense of time, and a little lively interest is also added in the nostalgic warm atmosphere. The overall design shows the design philosophy of traditional retro and contemporary simple style.

It is worth mentioning that the book wall is cleverly set between the stairs, which is closely connected with the playroom in the moving line. After playing, the children can take books at hand and sit on the steps to read, or read and chat with their parents on the stairs together. From a simple traffic path, the stairs naturally transform into a warm parent-child reading platform, rich in emotional communication and educational function.

Sustainability

In the layout planning, the lighting is adjusted, and the circular patio and enlarged horizontal windows are increased to strengthen the light and ventilation, thereby reducing the use of lighting and air conditioning equipment. In terms of material, by retaining the iron windows and the roof of the original house, the waste generated by mass demolition is avoided.

The selection of log angle and splint is applied to the design of stair handrails, playroom sandwich structure and slide, and the method without over-processing avoids excessive painting and chemical treatment, and implements the responsibility of environmental sustainability.

In addition, the whole house adopts non-toxic and environmentally-friendly paint, the collected old tiles are re-used, the dining table and cabinets are made of system plates, and the kitchen countertop is made of easy-to-clean and durable quartz stone, reducing the cost and environmental burden of daily maintenance.