Privacy in the City: The KNIT House by UID Architects
Japan is one of those countries with towering high-rise buildings practically flooding its megacities like rice grains in a pot. It’s a mix of its traditional minka homes and silver high-rise apartments which grew in popularity back in the 1990s for their assumed ability to hold values easier. The KNIT House by UID Architects is one of the few residential homes that hold their ground against the rising number of high-rise buildings. Located near the city center in Nagano and blooming with nature’s greenery, the KNIT house is a calm and warm presence peeking from a slope that stretches from the mountainside to the base of the mountain where residential developments have been present since the 1970s.
Related read: For Newfound Independence: Tips For the First-Time Condo Owner
The KNIT house’s site is sandwiched right between high-rise condos on the south side which, along with a long and narrow layout makes securing natural light and privacy a little difficult, and scenic views on the east side where there’s better elevation and a view of the river along the slope. Instead of opting to find a better site that offers better views and absolute privacy, the architects simply offered a more three-dimensional design for the house–one which allows for nature to seep through floor-to-ceiling windows and glass walls, and to deflect the peering eyes from those residences nestled in the nearby high-rises.
Noting the disadvantages of the south side, UID Architects crafted a three-dimensional space that integrates both the site’s microtopography and an expansive roof with 1,000 millimeter x 64 millimeter laminated wood woven in a 2,700-millimeter grid pattern supported by six cross-shaped steel pillars. Alongside the topography, this large and flat roof provides excellent privacy all around while still keeping the interiors open to the sites of the surrounding space.
