2023

Constructing meaningful architecture in Hong Kong is increasingly difficult due to limited space and high costs, where public rental housing averages 13.5 m² per person, and one million USD will buy you 22m². On the small island of Peng Chau, a rare opportunity arises to build a three-story house with a 60m² footprint. The site is in a narrow, dense island alleyway with simple building massing requirements. However, due to densely situated neighboring buildings, there is limited direct daylight and essentially no view.

Inverting this context became the premise of the design or lack of it. We opted for a continuous translucent glass envelope system with strategically located vertical windows instead of a traditional solid building surface to let natural light and air be the source of interior ambiance that adjusts throughout the day and season without sacrificing comfort or privacy due to the warm climate and quiet street life of the island.

Two punctured vertical walls serve as a primary structural system, allowing circulation and utility elements to be cantilevered off the walls within the 100 cm edges of the building envelope. This overall combination minimizes the scale and scope of the construction, allowing the allocation of small but ample open space in the middle as the key area of living space. The existing retaining wall on the site's north side was used as the landscape feature, providing an intimate and continuous direct experience of viewing miniaturized live still-life paintings that respond to light and weather from each floor of the house.

1. NEW LIVING

The interplay of natural and artificial light emanates from the house, suggesting a lifestyle that values both seclusion and engagement with the street life within the unique context and architecture of the island.

2. TRANSLUCENT FACADE

The channel glass facade allows filtered natural light to permeate every corner of the house, resulting in a dynamic domestic atmosphere that sets it apart from the outside. This play of light illuminates the interiors and imbues the living spaces with an ever-evolving ambiance.

3. OPEN PLAN

All floor plans are organized into three distinct spatial corridors: UTILITY, LIVING, and CIRCULATION. The LIVING corridor is flanked by the UTILITY and CIRCULATION corridors, providing a high degree of flexibility in the central area of the house.