Japanese architectural firm Keisuke Kawaguchi+K2-Design has created the FLAT 40. Completed in 2013, this contemporary home in Imabari, Japan, implements a floating screen wall to ensure privacy while maintaining sufficient natural light and ventilation. This private residence was built for a family of four. The property is elongated westward from a road on its east, with a spacious yard to the north along a waterway. A seven-story apartment building towers on the south side of the property. The concern was how to block the line of vision from the apartment building and maintain privacy, while ensuring ample light and ventilation. In order to meet these requirements we designed a 40 meter concrete screen wall along the south side of the residence. Precise calculations were done for its size and structure. Indoor rooms are set up based on the ukikabe. The elongated building that stretches east to west was divided in to north and south with the use of skip floors. By incorporating large scale multipurpose storage spaces, the residence is designed for simple living. While still retaining their function, the interior walls are lowered to avoid visual interruption. A wood-grained ceiling is used uniformly throughout the house.
