American studio SHED referenced Japanese design and three-ring circus tents when creating the Me-Kwa-Mooks Net-Zero house in Seattle, Washington.
Located on a sloped site beside Me-Kwa-Mooks Park, the dwelling is a remodel of an existing house with a jumbled layout and poor energy performance that the studio said followed "several ill-conceived additions and modifications".
The house takes cues from Japanese architecture. Photo is by Tony Kim
SHED's overhaul was designed to make the house more sustainable and better reflect the interests of its owners ? two former circus performers with a love for Japanese architecture.
To achieve this, it stripped back the dwelling into two interlocking volumes and simplified its interiors to create brighter, open spaces with views outside. It is set on a steep slope by Me-Kwa-Mooks Park. Photo is by Tony Kim
"Both clients have lived in Japan, and enjoy both traditional and contemporary design elements from the concept of the tea room to Studio Ghibli to contemporary Japanese architecture," said the Seattle-based studio.
"Both clients had been professional circus performers, bearing an affinity for open, dynamic spaces," it added.
"A key element of the brief was for the small individual spaces to open, and become interconnected spaces with big views to forest and water."
The interiors are arranged around a central hearth and flue
To modernise the Me-Kwa-Mooks Net-Zero house's stripped-back exterior, ...