The Sharp House

Concept

The family is very inspired by music and art, especially by the mother's work as a violonist and professor. Because of that, the house has a similar shape of a sharp (#), commonly used in musical notation. The shape creates an integrated internal space, a place for union. Just like the chord that creates a semitone, the house also elevates itself, creating a segregated space for work and an intimate space for the parents.

Intent behind the organization of the elements across the architectural, site and urban scale 

The house has access for cars and pedestrians. It is retreated in relation to the street to preserve a certain kind of privacy. Regarding the house, there are intermediary spaces connecting integrated places to the intimate ones. The shape of the house allows their residents to always have contact with the exterior through openings, windows or doors, creating inspiring environments with free circulation.

Iterations tried to arrive at the final outcome

We speculated four different shapes, developing the final shape and the final integration of spaces. We started with a central patio in mind, with the residence encapsulating the stage area, then we proceeded to an U shaped floor plan, to have a better connection with the outdoors. Then we arrived at a H shaped form, and through that we developed the final outcome, the # house.

Which methods of design investigation were used

- Free- Hand Sketches: with the first thoughts regarding the challenge’s theme. This kind of fast creative process allows to come up with the first raw ideas.

- Diagrammatic sketches: with the raw ideas in mind, we can start organizing the ideas and put the drawing together, looking to attend the necessities of the project.

- Brainstorming and Fluxograms: Discussing everything we did so far and putting on an organized structure can keep the team focused and on the same track.

-Online meetings and drawings on Jamboard.

How the programme was condensed into the final one

The integrated area in the ground floor is destined to the family as a whole,  creating connected environments by a main axis, with rooms of easy access to the kids and a lowered area for them to play. The highest part of the house is segregated and destined to the father’s office and the couple’s bedroom, giving then a little bit of privacy and distance from the kids.

How were the materials chosen

Despite being near an urban center (Dublin, Ireland), the house is located in a wooded area. Inspired by this, we used wood and concrete to create the main façade, making a juxtaposition of materials, onde derived from the urban jungle and the other from the actual jungle, but that somehow complement each other.

Meeting a specific objective 

Mikayla (the mother of the family) asked for a place to rehearse, and it was a noticed fact that everyone in the family loves to hear her play. Accordingly to that, a stage was projected, which has a section in the interior and another one in the exterior, divided by a curtain of movable panels. In that way, Mikayla can rehearse in the privacy of her house with the panels closed, or open them and have a full stage to the garden, allowing more people to listen to her performance, since she likes to receive guests at her house. The panels create an indoor-outdoor dynamic and giving the residents an opportunity to play with the visibility of the house.

How the project will transform itself with the passing time

The use of vegetation will transform the site into a space increasingly pleasant. The first floor of the Sharp House has an open space that can be used to build private spaces. For example, when the twins (Lily and Lana) grow up and need an extra bedroom, workspaces or study spaces, the second floor will configure itself as an open programme, without need to intervene the site.