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    Bosco Sodi unveils remodelled Tokyo residence as family home and Casa Wabi extension

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    Studio Wasabi Architecture and Satoshi Kawakami Architects have created a home and artist residency in Tokyo for Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, founder of the arts foundation Casa Wabi in Mexico.

    Occupying a corner plot in the Sendagi district of Tokyo, Casa Nano 2.0 is a renovation of a postwar house constructed in the late 1950s.
    Casa Wabi founder Bosco Sodi has unveiled a home and artist residency in Tokyo”The house has a very simple facade system to protect the windows, a system called amado, where you can slide some metal windows and close them when there is a typhoon,” said Studio Wasabi co-founder Rafael Balboa.
    The 68-square-metre home has a simple facade with a gabled roof and ridges that jut out to create small awnings.

    The home renovated a post-world war two home in Tokyo”For the exterior, we only applied one material – which is called Excell Joint – so it looks similar to the original house in order to make it more natural and coherent with the neighbourhood,” said Balboa.
    Studio Wasabi worked with Satoshi Kawakami Architects to completely revamp the interiors for use as an extension of the Casa Wabi artist residency in Puerto Escondido, Mexico or as a home for founder Bosco Sodi and his wife interior designer Lucia Corredor.
    The home’s original cedar beams were maintained in the redesignAfter sponsoring 13 Mexican artists in the original Casa Nano at another location, Sodi needed more space and decided to move the residency into a larger space – Casa Nano 2.0.
    The architecture studios worked with Sodi and Corredor to open up the space, creating an open-concept kitchen, adding furniture and moving the original staircase.
    In order to open up floorplan, the architecture studio included a floating staircaseThe first floor of the two-storey, cedar-framed structure is concrete, and the second storey’s floor is made of cedar.
    The designers and construction company Washin Architects kept all of the old cedar beams and columns, as well as the windows from the original house to preserve the essence of the original building.
    The original windows were maintained”For us, it was also very important to be able to have blackout windows so we kept the original pocket metal windows of the facade of the old house to be able to close the windows completely,” explained Corredor.
    The team had to move the original staircase to open up the ground floor, so a floating steel staircase was placed against the wall at the middle of the structure, suspended from the existing beams.
    There are three living spaces on the second floor”This house, besides being part of the art residence of Casa Wabi, was designed to fit our family needs,” said Corredor.
    Storage space was another important factor in the design process, so the architecture studios created a shelf unit that hangs from the existing beams that stretch around the entire house.
    A shelving system surrounds the homeOn the second floor, three separate spaces were included to accommodate a family of five. The primary bedroom has a simple layout and connects to a small terrace.
    A central living area has a bench with a small reading nook and the seating area was furnished with a vintage French sofa from the 1950s and an old wood table from a local flea market.
    The spaces are divded by sliding panel doorsThe bunk bedroom at the end of the second floor was built for the kids or as another area spot an artist in residence and has access via a ladder to a small outdoor terrace.
    The three spaces are divided by Japanese paper sliding doors with overlaying glass thick enough to maintain privacy and let the light flow into the space.

    Read: Five Casa Wabi pavilions include Álvaro Siza ceramics studio and Kengo Kuma chicken coop

    Five Casa Wabi pavilions include Álvaro Siza ceramics studio and Kengo Kuma chicken coop

    The doors and built-in furniture as well as the ceiling of the second floor were made using Lauan wood.
    Corredor used furniture from the previous residence and items that were locally sourced to furnish the home.
    “We brought all the furniture we already had in the former Casa Nano,” she said.
    “Like our old wood table that we found in the flea market in UENO and our beloved Noguchi lamp to give warmth and light to the space.”
    The home’s exterior blends into the style of the neighbourhoodCasa Nano 2.0 will continue with its residency program, inviting four Mexican artists every year, each for a period of one month.
    “Japan has been life-changing for the artists that have been already,” Sodi said.
    “As it was for me when I was invited to an art residence in Tokyo almost 20 years ago.”
    Casa Wabi’s headquarters in Puerto Escondido was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and features yearly pavilions by international architects including a red brick chimney by Mexico City-based architect Alberto Kalach and a ceramics workshop by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza.
    The photography is by Nao Takahashi. 

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      Studio Terpeluk renovates Albert Lanier-designed Noe Valley home

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      San Francisco-based Studio Terpeluk has renovated and expanded Redwood House in Noe Valley with redwood interiors and terraces.

      The three-storey Redwood House was originally designed by American architect Albert Lanier – husband to sculptor Ruth Asawa – in a hilly  San Francisco neighbourhood characterised by Victorian and Edwardian houses.
      Studio Terpeluk renovated an interior in Noe ValleyStudio Terpeluk was selected to expand the 1976 house from 2,260 square feet (210 square metres) to 3,218 square feet (299 square metres) with a new guest room suite, home office, wet bar and media room.
      The renovation “surgically modified the house in an architecturally non-aggressive manner,” the studio said.
      Western red cedar was used for the walls and ceilingWrapped with irregular western red cedar planks, the narrow house cascades down the hillside with exterior courtyards that mitigate the grade change.

      One enters the house through an intimate courtyard off the street into an open-plan upper level with a sloping ceiling and dark-knotted Douglas fir flooring made from local reclaimed pier pilings.
      Many of the walls and ceilings were updated with vintage rough-sawn redwood veneered plywood maintained from the original build.
      “Redwood surfaces and structural elements complete the warm interior landscape: from the sloping roof beams to partition walls and built-in shelves,” the studio said.
      The renovation expanded the homeTo the left of the entrance is the kitchen with custom-gloss cabinets and a Carrara marble backsplash. It opens to a dining room that features a Saarinen table and Hans Wegner wishbone chairs.
      To the right is the library where sunlight from the large window brightens the dark panelling and sculptural furniture.
      Bright panelling contrasts the rich wood tonesThe living room is oriented around a pink sculpture by American artist Wanxin Zhang.
      Padded seating wraps the corner under a large window looking out to the San Francisco skyline.
      The living room has wrap-around seating and views of San FranciscoThe house is centred around a staircase illuminated by a skylight.
      “The sculptural blackened steel stair with vintage rough-sawn redwood plywood walls anchors the house, weaving together the three floors and their diverse spatial character,” the studio continued.
      The home is oriented around a central staircaseThe middle level features guest suites with direct access to the entry courtyard.
      The primary suite is softened by light pink terrazzo tile and a micro mosaic of Indian red recycled plastic tiles.
      The home’s colour complements the art collection of the owners”Color was a recurring theme in the exquisite and eclectic art collection of the owners,” studio founder Brett Terpeluk said.
      “This went perfectly hand in hand with my interest in mid-century Italian design and its bold use of color.”
      A series of terraces connect the home with the sloping site”We collaborated with our friend and designer Beatrice Santiccioli to enrich the project with a dedicated and bespoke color language,” he continued.
      At the lowest level, a media room, home office and kitchenette open to an abundantly landscaped garden.

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      The outdoor areas were designed by Terpeluk’s wife and longtime consultant, Italian landscape designer Monica Viarengo.
      The terraces shift from curated gardens to wild vegetation as one moves through the property, while the plantings reference California coastal landscapes with yellow roses, espaliered fruit trees and a variety of thymes.
      A guest suite connects to the central courtyardStudio Terpeluk was founded in 2008 by Brett Terpeluk, after he finished a tenure working with Italian architect Renzo Piano.
      Other Noe Valley renovations include the Gable House by Edmonds + Lee, a renovated Victorian townhouse by Fougeron Architecture and an industrial home for a tech entrepreneur by Levy Art and Architecture and Síol Studios.
      Photography is by Joe Fletcher.
      Project credits
      Project team: Brett Terpeluk, Huy NguyenLandscape design: Monica ViarengoColor consultant: Beatrice SanticcioliContractor: Saturn ConstructionStructural engineering: Strandberg EngineeringFurniture: Santiccioli ArredamentiOrama sliding window systems: CooritaliaWindows: BonelliWood reclaimed wood flooring: ArboricaMetal fabrication: Upper Story DesignDrapery/upholstery: Malatesta & CoArt: Catharine Clark Gallery

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      Embers restaurant in Taipei features a “vortex” of cedar wood planks

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      Bowed panels of cedar form a chaotic vortex-like structure in Embers, a restaurant in Tapei’s Da’an district designed by local practice Curvink Architects.The structure, which Curvink Architects says could also be likened to a bird’s nest or whirlpool, sits over the bar of Embers. It’s shortlisted in the restaurant interior of the year category in the 2020 Dezeen Awards.

      The focal point of Embers is a vortex-like structure that sits above the restaurant’s bar
      To build the structure, Curvink Architects called on the help of designer and maker En-Kai Kuo. He sourced three 25-metre-high cedar trees from the forested mountainsides of Hsinchu, a city in northern Taiwan.
      The trees were being felled as part of thinning – a process where a select number of trees are purposefully removed in order to improve the health and growth rate of those remaining.

      Cedar planks were used to make the structure

      After being transported to a nearby timber factory, the three cedar trunks were sliced into thin layers and steam-bent. This formed arched panels which each span three metres in diameter.
      The panels were then set aside for several weeks to allow their curved form to stabilise.
      When the panels were brought on-site to Embers, Kuo haphazardly arranged them in a clockwise direction to create the final vortex-like structure. One cedar beam has been partially embedded into one of the restaurant’s structural columns to act as a counter where guests can rest their drinks.
      It’s illuminated by a striplight which has been fitted in the grooves of another beam hanging directly above.

      During the construction process, the cedar trunks were sliced into thin layers
      Beneath the structure sits a chunky serving island crafted from a further 64 cedar beams, which are stacked in an eight-by-eight formation.
      One end of the island has undergone shou sugi ban or yakisugi – a traditional Japanese method of wood preservation, where the surface is lightly charred to become waterproof and overall more durable.
      Inside, the island accommodates a small fridge, freezer and storage for tableware.

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      To keep diners’ attention on the sculpture, the restaurant’s fit-out is otherwise kept simple.
      Walls are loosely rendered with sandy-beige plaster, while the floor is finished with concrete. Pendant lamps made out of recycled glass have also been suspended from the ceiling.

      Some cedar beams have been inset with striplights
      Embers will go head-to-head against four other projects in this year’s Dezeen Awards. Among them is DooSooGoBang in South Korea, which is designed to reflect the humble practices of Buddhist monks.
      There’s also Voisin Organique in China, which features soaring ceilings and shadowy dining areas to make guests feel as if they’re “wandering in a valley”.
      Photography is courtesy of En-Kai Kuo.
      Project credits:
      Design: En-Kai Kuo with Yu-Hao Huang, Curvink ArchitectsAdditional cooperators: Wes Kuo, Kit-Chen, Your Kitchen Ally, Yule Space, Weihsun Chen, Zhēnzhēn Lab

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