yokohama-based architecture practice koizumi atelier has shared with us images of ‘life cycle carbon minus (LCCM) demonstration house‘, a dwelling that has been designed to achieve negative CO2 emission throughout all its stages of construction, operation, and future demolition. situated within the grounds of the building research institute in ibaraki-ken, japan, the project consulted a number of specialists to conceive a design that ‘changes dresses for each season’.
featuring a glazed facade to the south, the overall form of the house was driven by multiple concepts that would allow for an optimum and energy-efficient operation: two ventilation towers behind a pitched roof punctuate the outline of the dwelling while facilitating natural air flow and lighting for the interior. to readily-react to japan's polar climate - hot and humid in the summer,chilly in the winter - the glazed elevation is made flexible through a series of sliding screens and louvers. the system allows for different 'modes' that allows for ideal insulation or solar intake as well as control over sunlight and privacy.
for a compartmentalized way to operate the living space in addition to an efficient arrangement, the layout of the house consists of multiple strips: a ‘resting zone’ to the north, a ‘buffer zone’ to the south, and an open ‘activity zone’ in between. the organization has been translated vertically as a stacked configuration, further enabling natural air and heat flow. other energy-efficient features include photovoltaic panels, locally grown and harvested timber, household fuel cells, and LED lightings.