Porsche owners have a reputation for being meticulous. We like our cars with a clean and simplistic design, aesthetically pleasing, and visually simple and uncomplex. Porsche’s design culture has certainly changed over the years but, unlike some of their competitors, has always kept a relatively unfettered exterior appearance. Of the 50 year series of 911 production, it is arguable that the 993 generation offered the least cluttered visuals of them all; a classic, unwavering beauty. In fact, one owner based in Osaka, Japan decided that a 993 was deserving as the centerpiece of his new home.
The town-home was commissioned to showcase the owner’s pride and joy. Designed by Kenji Yanagawa Architect & Associates, the simple instructions were to make the garage the focal point of the home, eschewing the tradition to hide the garage area, and to build the home to be as “earthquake-proof” as possible.
In Japan, space is at a premium, and as such, this home makes very good use of the available footprint, allowing all of the rooms a home would need, while still providing an open and airy feeling, and giving visual contact with the garage from each floor.
The home is organized in offset levels on either side of a central empty space. At the rear of the domicile, the music room/office, kitchen and bed room are stacked vertically, accessible by a series of stairs, the kitchen leads to the living room up and across the front, while the half-wall bathroom and a large terrace are directly above that. All of the rooms are built without walls, using railings to separate the rooms, promoting flow of light and air. Windows to the roof provide natural lighting.
The exterior walls, as requested, are all supported by large, deep rooted steel beams to provide protection from tectonic activity. This home is likely the safest place for a Porsche in all of Japan, and absolutely beautiful, to boot. Everything inside the home is kept very neat and tidy, with surgical white being the main color. The silver exterior paint of the Porsche looks wonderful against the stark and barren white backdrop, setting it apart from the remainder of the home, and providing some color for the eye to send its focus.
We are aware that the Porsche pictured above is not a 993. This image comes to us courtesy the design team.
If money was no object, would you design a home like this? Do you love your Porsche that much?
August 12, 2013 UPDATE: Bloomberg ran a follow-up on this story about the Japanese Porsche owner who built his home around his Porsche. Below is their video which provides even more insight and information on his home and Porsche. The video is embedded from Bloomberg and may not work in all browsers. If you’re having trouble viewing it, click here to watch directly on bloomberg’s site.
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A Porsche Engine Designed and Manufactured in Japan
[Sources: Gizmodo – DesignBoom]
