Yoshiaki Tanaka's Innovative Green House Design

Vertical Horizontal Green House: A Fusion of Architecture and Greenery

The Vertical Horizontal Green House was inspired by an apartment built on the south side of the site. Tanaka's design cleverly avoids direct line of sight with the apartment, instead orienting the building towards an open vista. This strategic placement, coupled with the use of green Breeze Soleil, ensures both the enjoyment of greenery and the preservation of privacy.

What sets Tanaka's design apart is its planar and stereoscopic integration of greenery. The living room is seamlessly connected with the south roof garden and the north garden, creating a cozy space filled with greenery. On the second floor balcony, a series of greening planters hang randomly on the sleeve wall, serving as a mechanism for residents to feel nature and protect their privacy. This innovative concept also contributes to the creation of green landscapes in homogenized city facades.

The Vertical Horizontal Green House is a product of advanced technology and thoughtful design. The above-ground structure is made of steel frame, while the underground structure is reinforced concrete construction. The house features 18 steel plaster planters with automatic irrigation facilities, and an underground parking lot with a rooftop garden. The outer structure is made of greening paving material, further emphasizing the fusion of architecture and greenery.

The house, which covers a total floor space of 280 sqm on a 400 sqm site, was designed with the Asian climate in mind. The green planters on the second floor balcony not only provide shade from the summer sun, but also offer a wonderful view. Thanks to the vertical connection of the planting zone, residents can enjoy a comfortable environment wherever they are in the house.

The Vertical Horizontal Green House project was carried out from March 2015 to January 2016 in Yatomigaoka, Mizuho, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. The design successfully overcame the challenge of securing privacy in an open way, by hanging 18 steel planters on the sleeve walls. These planters not only serve as a blindfold and awning, but also allow residents to live amidst the coloring of the green.

In conclusion, Yoshiaki Tanaka's Vertical Horizontal Green House is a brilliant example of how architecture and greenery can be fused to create a comfortable and environmentally-friendly living space. The design, which extends greenery in both planar and stereoscopic ways, offers numerous benefits, including sunshade in the summer, protection of privacy, avoidance from street noise, and a cooling effect from automatic irrigation. It is a testament to Tanaka's innovative approach to residential design, and a worthy winner of the Silver A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award.