Hidden House
Yuan Architects
LOCATION
Taitung, Taiwan
YEAR
2018
CATEGORY
Houses
"Home" is a space formed through the daily refinement of life. Over the course of several years, we worked with the owner to express a portrait of his life with his family.
Located in beautiful Taitung amidst a wide expanse of rice fields, this building sits unassumingly between distant hills on one side and the ocean on the other.
It lies close to the ground as if it were an extension of the earth itself. Horizontal roof panels align with the horizon to frame a boundless view of nature.
Their gentle downward curves echo the rise and fall of faraway mountains, drawing a natural line that skillfully fuses daily life and space with the blue sky, mountain ranges, and fields.
Every space beneath the roof is able to feel the touch of the breeze, the warmth of the sun, the rhythm of the rain, and the allure of the landscape. Life is able to breathe and dance with nature.
The "回” (Chinese character meaning “return”) shape of the building structure is inspired by the spatial arrangement of the traditional Taiwanese three-section compound and produces an "inner court for living" and "outer court of nature" that reflects the relationship between nature and architecture.
The inner courtyard is where the axes of mountain and ocean intersect, as well as an open-ended area that extends living space, allowing for endless possibilities and imaginations for daily life.
One side features an open public area (living room, dining room, kitchen, and study), while a private area (bedrooms) occupies the other side with sundial-like skylights.
The entrance leads directly to a hallway that connects the different spatial segments of the building with scenes from daily life, suggesting how life progresses from the inside out while in a dialogue with nature.
The building's rustic spatial quality reflects the primal roughness of the land in Taitung.
Through a minimalist attitude towards life, the home can truly become one with nature and infused with the warmth of “home” along with the passage of time.
