House of Mist and Distance｜Mitsuhiro Kojima Architects
The site is located centrally within a subdivision divided into eight lots and adjoins a cul-de-sac. This dead-end road functions as a communal plaza shared by the residents, serving as a space for social interaction and children's play. However, the architectural presence of houses facing such plaza-like roads often tends to feel closed off and uninviting.
In response, I contemplated extending a sense of brightness and openness beyond the property boundaries to the shared plaza road where other families gather. Yet, in order to strengthen the connection between the house and the plaza road, I perceived both the "distance from the road" and the "distance within the interior" to be physically and spatially too close.
Hence, I conceived of elongating the perception of distance akin to how distance is experienced through a veil of mist. This involves superimposing alternative spatial images onto the original concept, thereby gently softening the initial image and creating a nuanced sense of spatial depth.
Concretely, if the "original image" is the living room with a sofa, I layered additional spatial elements—such as the arrangement, height, and types of walls, as well as variations in floor levels—onto this image. Further depth was introduced by layering several perforated panels in front of the more private rooms located deeper within the plan, gradually obscuring them to enhance the sense of distance. These overlapping perforated panels generate an effect reminiscent of water molecules creating varying densities, effectively producing an indoor mist-like ambiance.
Light filtering through the multiple layers of perforated panels changes intricately depending on the viewing angle, sparkling dynamically with movement and casting delicate, soft grains of light onto walls, floors, and ceilings. By simultaneously filtering views and transmitting brightness in this manner, a novel spatial relationship emerges within the subdivision. This allows the house to stand with a luminous presence extending slightly beyond the site encompassing all eight lots, fostering an inviting yet nuanced dialogue with its communal surroundings.
