A regenerated Japanese Colonial house in Taipei city, Taiwan has been named World Interior of the Year at the INSIDE Festival of Interiors 2019.
Held in Amsterdam from 4-6 December 2019 alongside the World Architecture Festival, INSIDE Festival of Interiors is where the global design community meets to be inspired by the latest and greatest in global interior design and architecture.
Over three days, INSIDE shone a spotlight on the people, projects and developments that are changing the face of global interiors.
At INSIDE’s heart is a global awards programme, which was judged by more than 20 distinguished designers and editors from around the world.
Finalists that are shortlisted across nine categories presented their project in person to international judging panels.
At a Gala Dinner awards ceremony on the evening of Friday 6th December at Beurs van Berlage, JCA Living Lab by J.C. Architecture won the final accolade of World Interior of the Year.
The project transforms a traditional house into a new type of environment for urban living which embraces the layers of history embedded in the site whilst creating a space adapted for modern living.
Designed to provide an experience of joyful living, JCA Living Lab is a house designed with its residents in mind, providing considered spaces for children to run freely, but at the same time allowing for rest and reflection.
Traditional craftsmanship is contrasted against modern detailing, such as the circular light feature hanging from the roof of the living room, against the backdrop of preserved materials.
The roof skylight shapes a path which acts as a guide for the house, from the beginning to the end. A red, exterior staircase also reaches up to the roof, connecting the ground to the sky.
Additional communal spaces were added to the main house, including a kitchen and living room as well as flexible space for group gatherings, the arrangement of spaces was designed to create connections and interactions.
The judges were unanimous in celebrating this inventive solution to reconfiguring a dilapidated Japanese colonial house.
They commented: “a dynamic whole in constant flux, the house is unusually in tune with the differing and sometimes contradictory needs of a young family. Every space can be negotiated and adapted, encouraging the house to be an incubator for positive difference in the family unit”.
“Sensitivity abounds, both in the design process and the outcome. Local craftspeople were drafted in when needed; recycled elements were mixed freely with new. Ladders to the roof level encourage ongoing hide and seek. Internal space leaks into a garden, itself an outdoor room, whilst light penetrates in unexpected ways and occasional views of the sky offset the otherwise congested urban setting.”
In addition to the overall winner, CAN BORDOY by OHLAB – a 24 room hotel located in the La Lonja neighbourhood of Palma de Mallorca; and Classroom Makeover for the Blind by Creative Crews in Pattaya, Thailand were also highly commended for INSIDE World Interior of the Year.