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Architects: TSDesign
- Area: 132 m²
- Year: 2012
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Photographs:Tsai Tsung-Sheng
Text description provided by the architects. TSDesign group tried to reverse house’s axis by using old red-brick、old wood beam and modern materials, to match nearby human characters. Architecture style, materials, historical memory which form Tainan’s local architectural characters.
Designer’s ideas
First meet with client who already had a whole house demolition license, discussed about the old house demolition, design and construction commissioned. The 50 years old house, except for only one meter wide roadway connection, the roadway is only three meters wide, demolition and construction works will be very difficult. In addition, client enjoy her childhood and also want to memorial their father’s trace here, we feel spatial reuse would be a better idea.
The formation of the space are based on the memory and the environment. Four intervals between the elongated old housing were preserved, but the old house surrounded by other houses, no appropriate gap in between.
1. We removed the decadent old roof tiles and trusses, and also elevated accommodation units to the second floor, then guest rooms can have better view.
2. Change the third room into atrium which distinguished public and accommodation areas, and also added the interior landscape.
3. Protrudes from the space in front of the former storage room and toilet reserved changed to the outdoor Star-bar and extending friendship District, its roof by the way also becomes the exclusive landscape terrace of the second floor guest room.
4. Interval steel pallets on the second floor, to let the sunlight shone.
5. Water sander expose old red-brick wall which is belong to past times.
6. Old window and frame reappear their rustic texture by wearing away windows’old paint.
7. Lower down back building to avoid roof corner aim at neighbor’s house which is bad for “Feng shui”.
8. Hidden aircondition units and water tower to backside, avoid disturbance from equipments.
9. Furniture and memories of the 60-year history, also new and also old spaces, endue old house a new life, which is a wonderful continuation.
10. Between the memory and the new, we seems did a lot, seems did nothing.
Living with old house must keep a following attitude. Actions cannot swagger between past and present, but must be accurate and effective. All design skills are hidden in the old house.
Change the third room into atrium which distinguished public area and accommodation areas, added to interior landscape and also enhance ventilation and lighting.
Design Process
Pitched roof construction of the original building as a single-layer design, we decided to add a second floor light steel structure, dug a new foundation from the first floor slabs, light weight steel structure independent of the old brick house, avoid old the gables alone bear the new load of the second floor.
Sacrifice the third room, converted into a the outdoor atrium,design team wish to retain traces of the original roof trusses, let people know this court used to be an indoor room. Therefore deliberately keep the beam cross-section of about 15cm, which cross section can also be too much trouble for seepage surface, particular strengthen waterproofing is needed, also led to a lot of construction troubles.
Design team convince clients to use hollow grille plate for the second floor slabs, to ensure ventilation and lighting on the first floor, the idea is from Tainan rainy season is only a month, but it can have a comfortable environment for other 11 months, although the rainy day will cause inconvenience but this sacrifice is worth.
Construction
The main difficulties of the old house renovation project is waterproofing works, in particular, we want to expose the red brick texture. The original plan was to use a matting transparent waterproof paint, but in the process of paint trying, unexpectedly used varnish waterproof paint which form plastic film. It’s a safer way for waterproof. Nevertheless, the leaking points of the old house are still omnipresent. We totally modify five times.
To avoid negative affect for exterior look by new air-condition equipments and new water supply&drain system.
Share drainage channels over 50-years which cause overall flow insufficient, new drain system improve it but will impact exterior look, hence, using elegant drowning chain can solve drain issue and also create beautiful landscape.
