HOS - home of shadows

Authors’ Comment

Light is one of the most important factors when designing homes, and the use of natural light is vital to creating a space that feels comfortable, inviting and practical. It could be said that lighting is a form of language that architects use to communicate emotion in the space and structures they design.
As such, shadow plays as much a role in influencing the feel of a space as light. The harmony between light and shadow allows architects and designers to create spaces with depth and texture, creating different moods for different purposes. In many cases, it could come down to the simple placement of a single window or door.
For the Home of Shadows, we were asked to design a home for a hypothetical couple with just one rule – there can be no artificial light within the home.

Our approach began with a simple walk in the city. As time went by, our shadows moved, multiplied, overlapped, changed their intensity, or faded under other shadows.
The concept revolves around these layers of shadows, in which time and sun movement create this vivid home in permanent change. Four types of enclosures help control the amount of sun and privacy in different spaces.

MORE THAN A FENCE
A sun-shading enclosure, made of steel and translucid panels, helps control light and shadows. The fence also ensures a certain level of privacy and acts as a limit between the street and t he house.

THE GLASS BOX
Defining the boundary between inside and outside. To maintain a connection with nature, its ground floor base can be opened completely.

CUTOUT WALLS AND MANY CURTAINS
Featuring cutouts on all sides, the main structure is equipped with movable textile curtains, that can transform the entire house into an intimate space or keep it as is, in an open dialogue with the environment

TWO CAPSULES AND ONE MORE CURTAIN
Two delimited areas with a high privacy level and one flexible space delimited by a moving curtain, all lit from above and sides.