earticle

영어

The architecture of SANAA employs both literal and phenomenal transparency to segment building masses and facilitate communication with the surrounding environment. However, this strategy can be problematic in facilities such as residential buildings, where privacy is crucial. This study investigates how the contrasting goals of transparency and privacy protection are balanced in SANAA's residential buildings. Four houses designed by SANAA were analyzed using one-point Isovist analysis, focusing on the view of pedestrians passing by on surrounding streets. The analysis revealed common characteristics among the case houses. Each house was carefully arranged with multiple segmented units to maintain privacy in the rear spaces without requiring additional design interventions. These buildings emphasize transparency, resulting in their division into multiple units. As a result, it becomes easier to block views into rear spaces. Subsequently, the case houses can be categorized into three main strategies for privacy protection. First, the Moriyama House and the Okurayama Apartments minimized exposure to the outside by carefully adjusting window placement. Second, the Seijo Townhouses adopted a programmatic approach by designating the exposed front area of the first floor primarily for guest rooms. Third, the Shakujii Apartments implemented a new strategy in which all spaces were initially designed to be obscured by curtains, with transparency occurring only when they were opened. These findings indicate that SANAA’s buildings are not merely shaped by aesthetic considerations but are instead the outcome of a deliberate effort to balance transparency with the practical need for privacy. This also provides a critical reflection on the increasingly closed nature of contemporary urban residential buildings.