[SNARK]+OUVI: Ridge

By varying ceiling inclinations and openings in the façades, two Japanese architecture studios emulate surrounding mountains and transform an apartment complex in a series of seemingly independent housing units.

Japanese architecture studio [SNARK], in collaboration with OUVI, has recently completed an apartment complex in the Gunma prefecture, in Japan. The complex is a simple structure in wood, which allows for the creation of low-cost dwelling solutions. Due to market demands, the architects have opted for a single typology of one bedroom apartments.

Inspired the surrounding mountains of Akagi, Asuna and Haruna, the architects have devised a building in which each piece evokes a mountainous ridge with specific characteristics. By varying ceiling inclinations and orientation in order to create diversity between the apartments, the project evokes nature's heterogeneity. According to the architects, it also provides residents with "the feeling of living in unifamiliar homes."

Avoiding issues of acoustic insulation, frequent in wooden structures, the architects have devised minimum adjacencies between apartments. These points of contact feature thicker walls. Ceilings and floors absorb sound vibrations thanks to a metallic structure within.

[SNARK]+OUVI, Ridge apartment complex, Gumma-ken, Japan

Although the distribution of each dwelling is the same, the apartments allow for diverse configurations, thanks to the use of mobile walls and diverse levels within the space for containers and closets. The bedrooms face a tranquil road. Each opening has been determined — in size and position — after careful consideration of each dwelling's surrounding urban fabric.

The interiors are neutral, defined by daylight. Corridors and open spaces connect the two apartment blocks, and provide parking spaces which are shared by residents.

[SNARK]+OUVI: Ridge apartment complex
Architects: SNARK (Sunao Koase) + OUVI
Typology: apartment complex
Completion: February 2012
Structure: Wood
Site area: 708.75 + 244.53 square metres
Built area: 381.05 + 380.06 square metres

[SNARK]+OUVI: Ridge

By varying ceiling inclinations and openings in the façades, two Japanese architecture studios emulate surrounding mountains and transform an apartment complex in a series of seemingly independent housing units.

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