Architecture

House in Konohana

Fujiwaramuro Architects uses curved walls in Osaka

Fujiwaramuro Architects uses curved plaster walls to direct movement through a narrow Osaka house. Rooms open and close as the walls bend.

Fujiwaramuro Architects designed House in Konohana for a large lot in Osaka's old town district. The clients planned to operate a 3-space public parking lot on part of the property, creating the need to separate public and private zones while maintaining visual connection to the street.

The architects divided the property into quarters using 2 curved concrete walls. These walls create 4 zones with descending privacy levels: outer public (parking lot), outer private (resident parking and approach), inner public (entryway and guest room), and inner private (main living spaces and courtyard). This organization allows commercial use while protecting family life.

The curved walls guide movement through the property rather than blocking it completely. They maintain privacy from the street while allowing glimpses of the entryway and Japanese-style guest room from the approach path. One wall extends inside the residence to become an interior dividing element, integrating the boundary concept throughout the building.

This approach addresses a common challenge in Osaka's dense neighborhoods, where walls typically create hard separations between public and private space. The curved concrete elements provide necessary privacy while creating a softer streetscape than traditional straight barriers.

2 curved walls organize a single Osaka lot into parking business, family residence, guest quarters, and courtyard. The walls run continuously from exterior to interior, sorting public and private programs across the full property.

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