Minusk house / KUU

minus k house' by KUU in nanhui, shanghai, chinaall images courtesy KUUimage © jeremy san / stzernstudioshanghai-based practice KUU (kok-meng tan, satoko saeki) has sent us images of their mostrecent project 'minus k house', a private dwelling adjacent to the client's slipper factory in nanhui, china. composed of two components - a weekend house and a residence for the worker - the design is a collection of 3m by 3m volumes that connect to one another to result in a flowing and porous circulation within.

looking in from the exteriorimage © jeremy san / stzernstudiowhile the project was conceived as two separate residences, the design achieves a highlyinterconnected atmosphere for its inhabitants: a large table placed at the center of the layout acts as the anchor to the space with the rest of the house pinwheeling off of its point. the two kitchens and a pair of courtyards are placed at the table's four corners, enabling the clients' and the worker's families to cook facing one another through a diagonal opening.

facadeimage © jeremy san / stzernstudio

view of a courtyardimage © jeremy san / stzernstudioa series of intersection wall sections continue the language of the exterior to the interior, making transparent the design's box-like composition. passageways of each room seemingly spills on to each room, promoting a sense of free movement and openness. while largely connected,careful attention was paid to place the programs of the respective houses at an appropriate distanceto promote a comfortable level of privacy. the project is an new type of structure that exploresshared housing models at a small scale.