Ribbon House by FAK3
From FAK3:
FAK3 was commissioned to transform an old house and landscaped gardens, positioned discreetly on a hillside with commanding panoramic views to the South China sea. The focus was to develop the 10,000sqft residence through specific architectural interventions, redesigning the exterior façade and interior architecture into a holistic synergy.
The four storey house has a southern orientation, with long, narrow floor plates with openings to each level offset and staggered into the hillside.
‘The idea of the house was to create a ribbon-like structure that dances through the 4 levels in a sequence of twirls. This creates an exciting transition through each floor level and the void space created by the stairs acts as a light well, drawing natural light into the basement levels.’
FAK3 founder’s Johnny Wong and Miho Hirabayashi
The main entrance is located at the centre along the length of the house, which dictated the arrangement of spaces. Opposite the entrance, is a void which the ribbon stairs penetrate through and a glass floor with views looking down 2 stories to the basement levels.
A grey green quartz stone clad the exterior, with sunlight picking up on its natural silver threads.
The central part of the home is dominated by an elliptical opening that winds its way through every level in a serpentine helix pattern. At its widest in the lower basement, it becomes tighter with narrower treads as the staircase approaches the roof terrace.
Adjacent to the stairs is a skylight that allows views of the sky to be seen from the two basement levels. Continuing the ribbon theme is a thin band of stainless steel trim that separates the change in flooring from hardwood at the entry to marble on the two sides of the home, and wraps around the atrium.
Rooms are fluid, with spaces flowing into one another organically. The kitchen and dining area both have direct access to a back garden designed for al fresco dining featuring a vertical wall of plants. Folding glass doors that can be completely open creating a strong connection between inside and outside. Sliding glass doors in the living room lead to a grassy terrace with a mere glass balustrade separating it from the cliff. At the lowest level, two en suite guest bedrooms each borrow additional light with private Japanese-style pocket gardens, while another bedroom on the floor above boasts a white marble bathroom with bathtub facing a 270-degree view.
“The concept for the house is transparency, and our focus is to provide a strong connection internally with the ribbon like staircase tying the vertical levels together as well as the connection to nature. We wanted to enhance the concept that there is a temporal boundary between inside and out; that the whole house can open up to expansive views, light and air.” – FAK3 founder’s Johnny Wong and Miho Hirabayashi.
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