Lighting and Details by Fuse-atelier Architects

I’m very disappointed by the lack of architecture on the site at the moment, usually we’re brimming with inspiration and creativity on that front, but lately I’ve been pursuing other avenues of design. Yesterday I watched a small but concise documentary on a build by a couple that broke through numerous barriers to build their so called “dream home”. It was a modernist retreat that had three floors, one was sunken in to the ground (basically a basement area with all the mod cons). Although probably too elaborate for my personal taste, I did appreciate their usage of natural light across the whole build, how rays just seemed to bounce from one area to the next lighting up the entire space. I was also amazed to see that they had very little light sources apart from the big windows and numerous tricks that they played with the light, the rest were nicely tucked away for night time use only. I guess that’s the magic of designing a home down to the finest details, the things you can do are nearly limitless.

So this got me thinking about the usage of light and how one can be guided by a particular light orientation, say for example the way the sun rises and falls on a property. It’s well-known that an architect like Le Corbusier used the light in order to guide the owners, such as open spaces on top of roofs to workout, and using different cracks and openings in the walls to spray light in certain directions. Fuse-atelier architects are a small firm from Japan that I feel have a similar pattern of thought, maybe inspired by the likes of Le Corbusier (I see some similarities on that front), so I decided to pull in some fantastic photographs that showcase the natural lighting in their builds. In many of the shots you can see obvious windows and entry points for light, these rays shine across and really penetrate the open spaces, it’s fantastic to see.

I think it’s good to note the boxy modernist nature of the homes, but the way that they’ve arranged them and the materials used make the houses unique and characterful, also very airy and simple. Concrete plays a major part in most of the builds, but that’s not stopped them from making attractive homes that would be a joy to live in. Obviously I tailored the imagery here towards my own theme of ‘light’, but you can see plenty more properties on their website linked below. It’s interesting that some of their older projects were very in tune with my own aesthetic, particular the grainy texture of the photographs gave the properties that something extra. Enjoy.

fuse-a.com

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