Precedent Two | Azuma House by Tadao Ando

Key Concept
What so special about the Azuma House by Tadao Ando is its strong connection to nature. He achieves this through the use of a central courtyard that divides indoor spaces (P. Jodidio 2013). Furthermore, Ando’s use of concrete as the main material greater emphasises the outdoor courtyard due to its ability to create simplistic indoor spaces that do not attract attention.

The linear, two-storey building is split into three blocks. The middle block is an open-air courtyard with a staircase. It bridges the other two blocks that contain indoor rooms. Ando has essentially divided all the rooms with the courtyard. To get from one room to another, the user has to go through the courtyard, forcing an experience of the outdoors (Y. Nussaume, 2009). This courtyard plays a key role as it provides ventilation, daylight and is the circulation space for the house; all of which is linked to the experience of the external environment.





The entire house is cast in concrete, giving it a cohesive and minimal aesthetic, devoid of ornamentation. This gives the interiors a low-profile, not taking the limelight away from the courtyard. Although each room has four tiny windows, they are all located closer towards the courtyard. This creates an interesting gradient of light, with the further ends of the rooms being much darker than the ends closer to the courtyard. The windows are the only devices horizontally connecting the house to its adjacent plots. This creates a sense of isolation, further amplifying the courtyard’s presence.

Selected Design Element
The key concepts highlighted above described the importance of the courtyard, the relationship between indoor spaces and the courtyard, as well as the isolating effect the four boundary walls create. Therefore, it only makes sense that all the rooms in the building be modelled. However, at the proposed scale, internal room dividers and the entrance light well will not be modelled. This makes the key concepts of the model easier to read.

The boundary walls clearly define the courtyard and show its vertical connection to the external environment, especially the sky. They also show the lack of connection horizontally with the adjacent plots, amplifying the presence of the courtyard as discussed above.

To show the importance of the courtyard and give it some context, the space around it has to be modelled. The two “indoor space” blocks will show that the courtyard is the tether connecting them.

To better illustrate the connections between the indoor and outdoor spaces, the model has to be split to show a cross section lengthwise. This will be a simple separation of one of the long boundary walls with the rest of the model.

Glazing will be modelled as well. Although Ando intended for the indoor and courtyard spaces to be as permeable as possible, it is important to be able to view them as separate entities in the model. With the entire model made of one material, it is even more important that glazing is modelled because nothing else indicates the separation between the spaces.

How is the Key Concept Reflected in Design Studio?
The idea of making the outdoor space the focus of the project is something I would like to explore in design studio. Arranging different programmes around it is just the start. Intangible things such as wind, light, smells and atmosphere the outdoor space adds to its context should also be considered. The architecture around it can then be manipulated to control their intensities and effects to create great atmospheres.
The hierarchy of the spaces in relation to the outdoor space is also something I am experimenting with. I would like the indoor spaces that are connected to the outdoor space to complement it, just to a point where the outdoor space is the focal point. The indoor spaces certainly should not overpower the outdoor spaces, like in the Azuma House. The spaces should gently flow into one another.

Unlike the Azuma House, I am considering less of a hardline approach to experiencing outdoor spaces. Instead of forcing users to move through the outdoor space, I would like to shape the surrounding architecture so that they are more inclined to occupy or experience the outdoor space. For example, the apartments that I am designing have spaces laid out around a central living space with a balcony. The living space is also deliberately small so that it would be beneficial for the residents to open their apartment out and utilise the balcony as much as possible. This then blurs the threshold between the internal and external environment.

Geometrical Description of the Shape

The Azuma House has a simple rectilinear shape. Its boundary walls and ground floor slab are like a box without a lid. The box is then divided into three, breadth wise. The first and last sections have intermediate floor slabs and roof slabs. 

The middle section has a simple stair leading to the first floor. It sits flush with the boundary wall on one side. The other side is covered from tread to the ground floor with concrete panels. This makes the stair and its underside look like a singular monolithic entity. The middle section also has a concrete bridge linking the two end sections. It sits in the centre of the house. Like the stair, the bridge also has a monolithic character. Its platform and balustrades are made of concrete and looks like a single entity. Its form is akin to a u-beam.

The roof slabs do not sit flush with the boundary walls, but are recessed downwards by 400mm. The edge of the roof slabs facing the courtyard are upturned by 35mm.

The front facade is one of the short edges of the house. It is made entirely of concrete and has no windows. The only opening is a bay doorway in the centre, without a door or gate. Behind that doorway is a parallel wall offset 1000mm from the front facade. The entrance to the house is perpendicular to the front facade.

Proposed Scale, Material and Technique

The scale of the model would be 1:100. At this scale, the key concepts can be portrayed. The walls will be cast using plaster and the glazing would be clear acrylic. Just like the concrete of the actual house, the cast plaster has a clean finish and adds to the minimalist look. It also gives it a sense of mass that other materials available in the workshop can give.

One of the long boundary walls has to be able to be removed to show the cross section of the house. This boundary wall will be cast using a simple mould made of formply. Blue foam would be used to create the fenestrations.

The stairs and bridge would be cast separately with formply and blue foam moulds.

A box mould will be created with formply so that the house can be cast on its side, with the boundary wall facing downwards. Blue foam will then be attached to the lid of the box mold to form the negative spaces of the rooms and courtyard when it covers the box, displacing the plaster within.

The importance of modelling the glazing is discussed above. The glazing will be laser cut from 2mm clear acrylic, the thinnest available in the workshop. Although this is not an accurate representation of the actual thickness of the glazing in real life, the most important thing to convey is the separation of outdoor and indoor spaces and the acrylic does that.

Time Commitment and Budget

Time Commitment
Making single boundary wall mould: 30 minutes

Making stair and bridge moulds: 3 hours

Making house mould: 4 hours

Casting and setting: 1 day

Laser cutting acrylic: 1 minute

Piecing together: 1 hour

Touching up: 1 hour

Total: Approximately 2.5 working days

Budget
Blue foam: $16

Plaster: $15

Total: $31