Members Only
Please join as a member and click "Members Only" to read more complete articles and exclusive content.
Engawa
緣側之家
An engawa is also referred to as a porch or veranda.In traditional Japanese architecture, the engawa is an outer corridor between an interior room with tatami mats and a garden, serving the purpose of ventilation, air circulation, and lighting. People often sit on the veranda and enjoy the garden view, eating watermelon in the summer when the breeze is blowing around the wind chimes, admiring the falling leaves of the maple in autumn, and appreciating the snow in winter, making it a space for communicating with nature and collecting emotions. In his recent work“Li House in Beitou”, designer Abraham Lee has incorporated engawa into the design of the hot spring house, resulting in a three-generation get-together resort atmosphere.
Situated in the center of the Beitou Hot Spring District, the Lee House is surrounded by hot spring water vapor, which adds a continuous stream of white mist to the ambiance of the interior. As the location is near the suburbs of Taipei City, the design is centered on "mountains" at its core. An ink and wash painting from the gate guides the entrance into the space, depicting a mountain path opening up at the end and a glimpse of the mountains beyond the village, which echoes the black slate used at the entrance flooring to reflect the impression of alluvial rocks. At the same time, the diatom base wall provides a natural contrast between light and dark as if it were ink and brush, echoing the Japanese space described by Tanizaki Junichiro in his book "In Praise of Shadows. " Next to the painting, the "spiritual pillars" of the gallery are connected. The teak pillars are hand-tied with linen rope, Japanese paper baffle doors shipped to Taiwan from Japan, and a cedar ceiling illuminating the house's Japanese heritage.
Along the "Spiritual Pillar," a house-within-a-house is created by the veranda, with a fully retractable sliding door (Japanese: しょうじ, meaning a horizontal sliding door used as a partition in Japanese houses), which, together with the raised tatami mats and ceiling, creates an open and independent Japanese room. When the room is completely open, it becomes a singular spacious chamber, whereas when the sliding door is shut in the middle, the room can be divided into two separate compartments. Furthermore, this room serves as a common area that connects the living room, dining room, and kitchen and can be used as a bedroom space for family members to rest. And finally, with the view balcony that opens up from the sliding door, there is a leisurely veranda view of the distant mountains.
The core of this hot spring house is concealed behind a latticed doorway. Walking into the lush green mountain view, the fragrant aroma of cypress pours in with the rising heat. The entire interior is constructed with cypress wood. At the same time, the lowered hot spring bathtub is made of green olive stone with Italian cea brand bathroom faucets, featuring simple and streamlined medical-grade stainless steel materials, allowing for the juxtaposition of Japanese and modern design styles. Waterproof organ curtains are used for the windows to enable viewing of both daytime and nighttime scenery. The unpainted cypress ceiling is free of recessed lights, offering a circular halation of light on the wall at night, creating a shimmering view of a bath under the stars.The ceiling of the master bedroom features straw woven wallpaper with wooden slats, decorated with a white light fixture that was found by the designer in Kyoto and is a collector's item Taisho-era handmade glass. The guest lavatory is made of kiln-formed bricks and wooden grilles to create an exterior feature, while the interior of the lavatory receives light through a skylight, simultaneously providing air circulation. The black polished stone flooring in the public area highlights the veranda design. At the same time, the Japanese style is also integrated with some Scandinavian furniture, creating a modern and relaxing atmosphere for the family.
緣側,也稱簷廊、廊台。在傳統日式建築裡,是介於鋪榻榻米的室內和庭院之間,有屋簷的外廊,具有通風、透氣、採光的用途。人們時常坐在緣側上欣賞庭園景觀,在微風吹動風鈴的夏季裡吃著西瓜乘涼,秋季欣賞楓紅葉落,冬季欣賞靄靄百雪,是一處匯聚情感與大自然交流的空間。設計師李靜敏在近期「北投李宅」作品裡,便以緣側融入溫泉宅設計,創造三代同聚一堂的渡假氛圍。李宅座落北投溫泉中心點,基地周邊盤繞溫泉水蒸氣,源源不絕的團團白霧為室內場景增添氣氛,由於位置鄰近北市近郊的山區,故設計亦以「山」為核心。
從玄關入內,入口端景由一幅水墨引步入室,畫中呈現山中小徑於盡頭豁然開朗,瞥見村外有山的意象,呼應前端地坪選用黑色大塊板岩象徵岩石沖積的感覺,硅藻底牆純粹自然,明暗之間猶如筆墨濃淡對比,呼應谷崎潤一郎於《陰翳禮讚》書中描述的日式空間。畫旁,銜接著緣廊的「精神支柱」。柚木細柱以手工綁繞亞麻繩,搭配從日本空運來台的和紙障子門,以及香杉天花板開啟一屋日式底蘊。
沿著「精神支柱」向內延伸,緣側在室內形塑了屋中屋,可完全收起的障子門(日語:しょうじ,意為日式房屋作為隔間用的橫式拉門),配合架高榻榻米與天花板,包覆成既開放又獨立的和室空間。完全敞開時,是寬廣的一大室,拉門從中關起則可分隔成兩間獨立房間。可同時連貫包含客廳、餐廳、廚房的開放公領域,也可以是家庭成員休息的臥房空間,最後搭配拉門敞開的景觀陽台,更有欣賞遠處山景的緣側式悠閒。而溫泉宅的核心湯屋,隱藏在格柵門片後方。
走入綠意山景,香杉香氣隨氤氳上升的熱度撲鼻而來,全室使用香杉,降板式溫泉湯池以綠橄欖石材打造而成,衛浴龍頭設備採用義大利cea品牌,簡單俐落的醫療級不鏽鋼材質,讓日式底蘊與現代設計風格並陳。在窗景方面採用防水風琴簾,觀賞日光夜色。未經上漆的香杉天花板不加嵌燈,入夜後一圓牆上光暈,打造星空下泡湯的幽微光景。主臥室天花板使用草編壁紙壓嵌木條手法製成,垂掛而下的白色燈飾,是設計師於京都覓得,值得收藏的大正年間手工玻璃燈具,點綴氛圍。客用廁所在外端以窯變磚和木格柵打造為一處端景,廁所內部以天窗引光入室,同時也可打開流通空氣。公領域的黑色磨石子地坪突顯了緣側設計,日式底蘊裡亦融入些許北歐家具,在溫泉渡假氛圍之餘含有現代悠閒感,為家庭打造一處舒適放鬆的休閒住所。
