Project posted by Paperfarm Inc

The Veil House

Year
2023
Structure
House (Single Residence)
Style
Modern
Cored bricks are held together by stainless steel rods threaded onto shelf angles and steel channels, which are then bolted onto building's reinforced concrete structure. There are also three emergency exit doors, one on each of the bedroom floors.
Cored bricks are held together by stainless steel rods threaded onto shelf angles and steel channels, which are then bolted onto building's reinforced concrete structure. There are also three emergency exit doors, one on each of the bedroom floors.
Dusk facade looking straight on, revealing the interior spaces behind.
Dusk facade looking straight on, revealing the interior spaces behind.
Night facade looking straight on, revealing the interior spaces behind.
Night facade looking straight on, revealing the interior spaces behind.
Heavy-duty doors are engineered with saw-tooth pivots to ensure seamless integration with the facade.
Heavy-duty doors are engineered with saw-tooth pivots to ensure seamless integration with the facade.
Garage and entrance niche at ground level: Garage door and its mechanical track are hung from above, installed behind 5 courses of veneer bricks. Powder coated stainless steel door panel is 12 ft x 7 ft (366 cm x 214 cm) in size, and is 2 inches thick. It slides along a guide rail below.
Garage and entrance niche at ground level: Garage door and its mechanical track are hung from above, installed behind 5 courses of veneer bricks. Powder coated stainless steel door panel is 12 ft x 7 ft (366 cm x 214 cm) in size, and is 2 inches thick. It slides along a guide rail below.
Metal-clad recessed niche for the main entrance
Metal-clad recessed niche for the main entrance
Walking through the main entrance, there’s a tranquil inner garden before entering the interior, it offers a buffer to calm the hassle and bustle from outside.
Walking through the main entrance, there’s a tranquil inner garden before entering the interior, it offers a buffer to calm the hassle and bustle from outside.
Mudroom-foyer with concrete pavers with coat/shoe storage under the stairs: Ascend through the terrazzo staircase to the main living level.
Mudroom-foyer with concrete pavers with coat/shoe storage under the stairs: Ascend through the terrazzo staircase to the main living level.
Pour-in-place terrazzo in green, being ground and polished by local craftsmen from Tainan with decades of experience
Pour-in-place terrazzo in green, being ground and polished by local craftsmen from Tainan with decades of experience
Custom white-oak millwork with built-in microwave, a built-in oven, concealed hood, two built-in refrigerators, a built-in drawer dishwasher, a built-in dish dryer, a pull-out trash bin, utensil drawers, and multiple pantries for plenty of storage space.
Custom white-oak millwork with built-in microwave, a built-in oven, concealed hood, two built-in refrigerators, a built-in drawer dishwasher, a built-in dish dryer, a pull-out trash bin, utensil drawers, and multiple pantries for plenty of storage space.
Built-In refrigerators
Built-In refrigerators
Bespoke kitchen with 11ft of continuous counter space, and an island
Bespoke kitchen with 11ft of continuous counter space, and an island
A snug bedroom with a sense of comfort that's shielded from the elements: It has a custom dresser, a shelved headboard, a walk-in closet, and a private balcony that opens to the inner atrium.
A snug bedroom with a sense of comfort that's shielded from the elements: It has a custom dresser, a shelved headboard, a walk-in closet, and a private balcony that opens to the inner atrium.
Double-height loggia off primary bedroom
Double-height loggia off primary bedroom
Double-height loggia
Double-height loggia
As a common practice throughout Southeast Asia, metallic louvers are often used as means of security for residential architecture. While utilitarian, they are also aesthetically pleasing, creating minimal yet sophisticated light patterns all around.
As a common practice throughout Southeast Asia, metallic louvers are often used as means of security for residential architecture. While utilitarian, they are also aesthetically pleasing, creating minimal yet sophisticated light patterns all around.

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Details

Square Feet
3390
Lot Size
1044
Bedrooms
4
Full Baths
3
Partial Baths
1

Credits

From Paperfarm Inc

Situated near the historic “Taiwan-Renga” (台灣煉瓦) brick kiln from 1899 that prospered this working-class district in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the Veil House revisits this history by weaving a modern, tapestry-like façade utilizing floating clay bricks.

In a district with very narrow streets, close proximity to neighbors, and a hyperactive social fabric, privacy is often compromised. To maintain boundaries, windows are often shaded throughout the day; outdoor spaces, such as balconies and terraces, are left largely unused. The Veil House challenges this public/private dynamic of compact urban living by creating a peaceful retreat that redefines the nature of this neighborhood’s typical house: a perforated brick façade liberates the need for window treatments and still allows filtered light into all the living spaces and bedrooms. The impetus for security and privacy reimagines the home as a body with a breathable, permeable skin. Like skin’s pores, perforation density is devised according to the functional needs behind the enclosures.

With cored bricks secured by rebars, shelf angles, and steel channels, the brick veil is designed to withstand the local challenges of earthquakes and typhoons. There are also three emergency exits, engineered with saw-tooth pivots, seamlessly inserted onto the façade.

On the street level, automobile storage is provided without visually distracting the pedestrian entry. The powder-coated stainless-steel door is 12 ft by 7 ft (366 cm by 214 cm) in size and is two inches thick. The door and its mechanical track are hung from above, installed behind five courses of veneer bricks with a guide rail below.

The entry, through an interior garden, helps quiet the transition from the bustling city streets and provides a deep threshold into the heart of the home, thus acting as a type of perforation. The residents circle around an open atrium clad with 2 by 6 vertical aluminum louvers, to enter the main living area on the second floor. This materiality pays homage to another Taiwanese vernacular of protected fenestrations while enhancing the verticality of the home. Programmatically, this atrium is the engine of the house: it is an urban garden on the ground floor; on the bedroom’s balconies it is a light-well introducing natural illuminance into the rooms; it is an airshaft for cross-ventilation with the brick veil at the front facade; and it is a connector that ties circulation and program together across multiple floors.

Behind the veil, this shifting perspective and the vertical stratification of program accentuate public versus private relationships. This forms the central discourse on the introverted approach of the home.

Throughout the home’s interior, custom-designed terrazzo flooring defines spaces within the largely, open-plan living floors, while full-length, custom white-oak millwork conceals not only the kitchen but the entertainment and storage spaces as well. The reductive use of materials enhances the focus on the brick veil and the respite gained in the quiet, minimal interior. The desire to build a cozy, airy lifestyle behind an urban façade that successfully withdraws from the frenetic street life is the defining characteristic of the Veil House.