*도심 틈새 주거 [ Neri&Hu ] Rethinking the Split House

도시의 틈새를 재구성한다. 자신의 밀도를 견디지 못하고 서서히

붕괴되는 상하이, 그 틈새 속에 자리 잡은 스플릿 하우스는 새로운

도심형 주거로 제안된다.

현대 도심생활이 투영된 주거공간은 기존 싱글주거공간에서

공동주거형태로 탈바꿈하며 주거 내부에 위치한 대형 계단실 겸 홀로

수직 연속된다. 이렇게 3개층에 걸쳐 위치한 주거공간은 계단실을 기점으로

스킵플로어 구조로 3개의 독립적인 주거유닛으로 개별화 된다.

도로에 면한 내부공간은 주거의 공용공간-리빙스페이스-으로

도시를 투영하는 거대한 천창 파사드로 디자인,

여기에 반층 올려진 후면공간에는 각 주거의 프라빗 룸으로 구성된다.

여기에 각 주거의 욕실은 계단실에 위치된다.

도시의 틈새, 주거 또는 스튜디오로 재구성된다.

reviewed by SJ

Rethinking the Split House

The magical lane houses, which were once the dominant fabric that made urban Shanghai the intoxicating place that it was in the 1930s, are now slowly being demolished, taken over by high-density developments all over the city. Neri&Hu was commissioned to reconstruct a dilapidated lane house left with almost nothing except its glorious shell in the historic and artistic Tianzifang area in Shanghai, and the mission was to transform it into three separate apartment units.

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Neri&Hu's strategy was to rethink the typology of the lane house - keeping the split level formation, a typical trait to lane houses in this city, and add spatial interest through new insertions and skylights to accentuate the architectural integrity of such a typology, contemporising it for today's lifestyle.

Historically the lane houses are separated with two distinct spaces - a longer and often rectangular space with a smaller room half a level above that creates a split section connected by a winding stairway in between. These lane houses which were often occupied by single families during the turn of the century, have changed over the course of the city's economic history. They are now typically occupied by three or more families, sharing the public staircase and landings, so that neighbours living on different levels or rooms have a chance to interact as they move in and out of their personal units.

To keep the spirit of this typology alive, a new continuous metal stair was inserted to replace the old decaying wooden stair that was not to code. It also serves to act both as a vertical connection to the three levels and at the same time a lock for the frontal room and room half a level above to be intact in its configuration. To keep these spaces pure and rigorous, all toilets were inserted into the stair spaces. The bathrooms, conceivably the most intimate spaces of each apartment, are inserted next to the most public stairway separated only with a sandblasted glass divider. Above this stairway, a clearstory skylight was added to bring light to the darkest space and also to the frontal room, the room half a level above, and the staircase space itself. The blurring of both the private and the public acts as the central concept that binds the split level together, and at the same time, bring life to the middle and darkest portion of the lane house.

Architecturally, the decorative elements added over the last 60 years were stripped off, and large openings were created on the frontal section to improve light qualities to the public spaces of each apartment. The colour black was selected to make the building "disappear", in hoping that one would experience the split-section connected by a public stairway that is so vital to Shanghai's urban life in the 30s. By capturing the spirit of the historic past and making new abstract insertions to meet modern needs, Neri&Hu infused life into a lane house in a neighborhood whose original fabric is dissolving too fast, too soon.

from  dezeen

Chinese architecture studio Neri&Hu sliced away the rear wall and replaced it with glass for this renovation of a 1930s townhouse in Shanghai.

The three-storey building is located in the Tianzifang district of the Chinese city, where it originally functioned as a house for a single family. Neri&Hu's redesign converts the building into three divisible apartments, each with a combined living and dining room at the back and a bedroom at the front.

A bulky metal staircase replaces the old timber steps that previously connected the floors. Sandblasted glass (completed after photography) separates the stairway from the corridor of each apartment so that residents can see the outlines of neighbours passing by.

A 45-degree skylight brings daylight into the stairwell, while a shared laundry room and terrace are positioned at the top.

"The blurring of both the private and the public acts as the central concept that binds the split level together, and at the same time, bring life to the middle and darkest portion of the house," says Neri&Hu.

The building is arranged over split levels, so the architects have also inserted a second set of stairs within two of the apartments. Unlike the main staircase, both are constructed from timber to match the flooring.

Bathrooms stretch along the southern side of each apartment and are enclosed behind another layer of sandblasted glass. Showers feature a west-facing window, offering a view down into the shared lobby below.

New windows were added to both the front and rear elevations, while the rest of the exterior has been coated in black paint. "The colour black was selected to make the building disappear," add the architects.

Although the building was designed for three separate tenants, it is currently being used as one large house.