The House for Contemporary Art

Fukui, Japan

Photo © Hiroshi Ueda

Single Houses

Architects: F.A.D.S

Year: 2014

A House like An Art Museum
We designed this home for an art appreciator and amateur artist who wanted a "house like an art museum." Planned with careful consideration for air circulation as well as for the harsh, snowy climate of the Japan Sea coast, the structure is composed of white boxes of varying scale that frame spaces like pictures.

You can circulate through the spaces in this home looking at the owner's collection of artwork just as if you were passing through galleries in a museum. The structure fulfills the client's request that passersby not be able to see inside, while also letting in fresh air and sunlight and achieving a well-sequenced, multi-layered spatial composition. Although the home is made up of a number of cubes of different sizes, we tried to create a structure that was as seamless as possible, with the spaces forming a single connected unit. In addition, the client wanted to be able to draw in both the garden and the studio, so we included a courtyard that could be accessed directly from the north-facing studio.