This project addresses the challenge of designing a compact residence for a family of three on a highly constrained site measuring only 3.6 meters in width and 15 meters in depth. The effective width, further restricted by setback regulations to less than 2.6 meters, recalls the colloquial image of an “eel’s bed.” Within such limitations, the design reconsiders conventional strategies and establishes a spatial composition that maximizes light, privacy, and architectural expression.
Departing from the typical arrangement of a living room on the ground floor facing the southern road, the project places the living, dining, and kitchen area on the second floor. This positioning allows for unobstructed access to southern sunlight while screening undesirable views of surrounding buildings. The elongated form of the site is utilized to establish a linear approach, with a corridor and staircase connecting the entrance to the upper level. In addition, a courtyard enclosed by boundary walls, complete with a timber deck and green walls, provides a secluded outdoor space sheltered from the dense neighboring context.
The client’s central request for privacy and sophistication is answered through an integrated architectural frame. The two-story living volume is composed together with the boundary walls of the entrance approach, the balcony, and the western edge of the second floor, unified beneath deep eaves. This continuous frame not only enhances privacy but also lends a sculptural presence to a facade less than one and a half bays wide.
Lighting design reinforces the experiential quality of the project. Indirect lighting along the approach and staircase highlights textured wall tiles, leading sequentially toward the LDK and creating layered shadows. By skillfully introducing intermediary spaces, the design expands perceived spatial richness beyond numerical limits, demonstrating how premium quality can be achieved within the strictest dimensional and regulatory conditions.