Developed at the request of SUS Corporation, a manufacturer of aluminum furniture and precision machinery, this is a new mass-production residence design that uses aluminum as the main structural material. In March 2004, the first model house was opened in Kyushu (southern Japan).  The initial objective in developing the project was to find a way of realizing a structural expression in aluminum that would not be possible using steel. The sectional shapes of extruded aluminum may be designed with great freedom. 

These sectional shapes have a unique beauty and an extremely high level of precision. We proposed a transparent structural wall consisting of cross-shaped extruded aluminum components 70mm in length. As the intention is mass-production, this is a prefabricated system wherein the structural walls are factory-made panels that are easily assembled on site with bolted connections. By avoiding on-site aluminum manufacture, the aim was to shorten construction time and lower costs.

The model house assumes a SOHO plan, for a person using their home as a workplace. The second floor has a ceiling height of 3600mm and may become an office or atelier, with a loft in the upper part. The ground floor contains the bedrooms and sanitary spaces. By reversing the ground and second floor, the ground floor could become a high ceiling office or shop. Because the 1200mm module allows the structure to be freely increased or reduced in size, it is possible to adjust the building scale to accommodate functions such as an office or shop rather than remaining as a house.

It copes easily with expansion and renovation. Furthermore, after dismantling the 1200mm lattice panels, they may be re-used without modification in another building. As they maybe used many times over, user could lease only the number of wall and floor panels they need, and the making of houses or shops could become a new type of exchange flow.

Team:
Architect: Riken Yamamoto 
Photography: SUS