floating Plateau

浮 宅

504 sq.ft I Wings At Sea 晉海II期, HK I 2021

Multiple Scenarios & Functionality Under Floating Space

懸浮空間下的幻變機能

It is an indisputable fact that Hong Kong’s land is rare and not enough, but usually Hong Kong people are rushed and busy at work, and it is difficult to balance between family and work. They usually need domestic helpers or parents to help take care of the family space. The phenomenon of nano-flats makes it difficult to provide independent room to maid, which drives us to re-examine how to allow the inclusiveness and privacy for family and maid in a limited space. The owners of the project are a young couple with a little son and a domestic helper who has served them for a long time. They hope that the new home will not only take into account the needs of the family, but also value the living space and privacy of the maid.

香港寸金尺土已是不爭的事實，但一般港人工作急促繁忙，難以兼顧家庭與工作，需要家傭或父母幫忙打理家庭空間。而納米樓現象化的衍生，很難提供獨立房間予傭人，驅使我們必須重新審視如何在有限空間內允許家庭與傭人的共融性及私隱度。本案屋主為一對年輕夫婦，有一小兒子，亦有一位已相處良久感情深厚的家傭； 他們期望新居除顧及家庭的需要外，亦重視家傭的生活空間及其私隱性。

Sim-Plex takes advantage of the high ceiling of the house, incorporates a lifted up space design, uses storage staircase to go up and down, so that the maid has her own privacy on the upper floor of the living room; the double movable sliding doors underneath provide flexibility in different living scenarios; in master bedroom wooden platform deck is integrated to increase the storage space; in son’s bedroom, the bed is also raised to retain the flexibility of the lower space. This project hopes to use the concept of "Floating Plateau" to create the multiple scenarios and functionality under a suspended space, and to balance the life of the family and maid in a limited space.

Sim-Plex利用原屋樓底甚高的優勢，在設計中融入懸浮設計，用收納樓梯上落，令傭人在客廳上層有其私隱空間； 在下的雙活動拉門彈性提供不同生活場景； 主人房加入地台設計增加收納空間； 兒房亦升高床位，保留下層空間的彈性。本案期望以「 浮宅」的概念創造懸浮空間下的幻變機能，在有限空間的基底下平衡家庭傭人的生活。

Sliding Doors IntegrateThe Flexibility of Diversified Living Scenerios

When designing the layout, Sim-Plex first sets up storage staircase next to the main entrance to raise the maid’s living space to the upper level; the lower level is a tall storage cabinet which acted as the feature wall, and is also the structural support of the upper platform. The tall cabinet combined with TV sets, decorative spaces, corridor entrance, dining table seats, shoe cabinets, staircase and a large amount of storage. One large and one small sliding doors are also added ,through open and close in different positions, a variety of living scenerios are created: in dining mode, the corridor entrance or the TV set can be closed; in watching TV mode, the dining table seats or the corridor entrance can be closed, greatly increasing the flexibility of the space, and also alleviating the appearance problems caused by lacking of time to tidy up the home; a wooden louver screen is added between the dining room and the living room, on the one hand, it increases the privacy of the dining room, and on the other hand, it serves as a structural support for the third fulcrum of the upper floor.

活動拉門彈性調整生活場景

在設計佈局時，Sim-Plex先在主入口旁設置收納樓梯，把傭人的生活空間升至上層； 下層則以高身收納櫃作為景牆，亦是上層平台的結構支撐。高身收納櫃結合了電視機、裝飾留空位、走廊入口、飯枱座位、鞋櫃、樓梯及大量收納櫃格，亦加入一大一小的活動拉門，透過開合的不同位置，創造多種場景模式：用餐時可閉合走廊或電視； 看電視時可閉合飯枱座位或走廊，大大增加空間使用的彈性，亦減輕了因缺乏時間整理家居產生的外觀問題； 飯廳與客廳之間亦加了木格柵屏風，一來增加飯廳私隱度，二來也是作為上層第三支點的結構承托。

The Attic & Platform Optimised The Childlike & Storage

For families with children, the design needs to integrate the childlike and safety. All materials in this project are made of ecological melamine board. In addition to zero emission of formaldehyde, it also reduces the chance of children scratching and bumping into the furniture; the opposite side of the living room's tall storage cabinet is a feature wall with a half waist height light maple decorative board , there is a striped pattern and prevent children from bumping in a low position; the main entrance has two polygonal magnetic blackboard walls for children to draw in chalk or paste reminders before going out; the living room tall cabinet is divided into two parts: the upper white wooden pattern, the lower light maple wooden pattern, and there is a lot of storage space, the TV set has a hanging panel, fritted line glass and light strip to increase the sense of transparency, and the closing of the sliding door can prevent children from touching the glass and reduce the risk; near the entrance has storage for shoes, etc. ; the upper space is a resting place for the maid, and the protruding floating corners are decorated with arc shape to reduce the sense of suppress; the warm white odourless child’s wall paint is used to reduce the release of formaldehyde.

上天下地童趣收納極致化

對於有小孩的家庭來說，設計亦需考慮趣味性及安全度。本案的所有物料均以防花生態板製作，除沒有甲醛的釋放外，亦減低小孩撞花刮花傢俬的機會；客廳高身收納景牆的對面，是半腰高的防撞淺楓木裝飾板，有間條紋路，防止孩童在低位的踫撞； 主入口亦設有两幅多邊形的磁力黑板牆，供小朋友粉筆畫畫或可貼上出門前的提示等； 客廳高身收納景牆分两段：上白木紋路，下淺楓木紋路，有大量收納空間，電視位有有裝飾吊挂板，長虹玻璃及燈飾增加通透感，拉門的關上可避免小童接觸玻璃，減低風險； 近入口門位有收納位存放鞋等；上層空間是傭人的休息位，凸出的飄角以弧角修飾，減低壓迫感；牆身暖白色淨味兒童油漆為主，減少甲醛的釋放。

The master bedroom is integrated with a wooden platform deck and a long working desk. You could sit on the platform while working, with your feet placing into the recessed space under the table; the overall space and wardrobe are divided into two parts: the upper white wooden pattern and the lower dark walnut. The use of dark wood can increase the peaceful atmosphere when taking rest; the closet has a space for displaying the books or decorations on the side, and there is also two steps for the platform; the bed has a strip pattern headboard and light strip decoration.

主人房整體設有收納地台，亦融入了長工作枱，工作時可坐在地台上，腳伸進枱下凹空位；整體空間及衣櫃分為上下两段：上白木紋路，下段連地台用深胡桃木紋路，因深木可增加休憩時的寧靜氛圍；衣櫃側身有留空格可放書或裝飾等，亦設有地台梯級；床頭有條子床頭板及燈帶裝飾。

The bed in the child’s room is raised on the upper level, and there is a storage staircase near the window. The open window is equipped with a safety lock. The lower level is left as empty to preserve the flexibility, and there are also light strips and a grey wooden circular decoration; the upper level has stainless steel safety handrail and a roof-shaped bedside frame. A ballroom light by Brokis Memory which imported from Czech can adjust the color of the light.

兒房的床升在上層，靠窗位有收納樓梯，開啟窗設有安全鎖，下層盡量留空以保留彈性空間，亦設有燈帶及灰木圓形裝飾；上層有不銹鋼安全扶手及屋頂造形床頭框，及Brokis Memory 捷克進口的氣球燈，可調較燈光色調。

Perfectly Balance the Privacy & Communion Between Family & Servant

Hong Kong is tiny and has a large amount of people, it is basically impossible to have an exclusive room for a domestic helper. In the society, many unscrupulous owners exploit the living quality of domestic helpers in order to save space: some maids just sleep in folding beds in the kitchen; some live in very narrow beds with no ventilation in a tiny subdivided space. In this project, the owner and the domestic helper have lived together for many years, and they hope that the maid will have a more comfortable and private space. Sim-Plex takes advantage of the high headroom of the site to raise the resting space of the domestic helper by one floor, with storage staircase to go up and down. The upper floor is open and ventilated. There are also black steel handrail and protective barrier to ensure the safety of domestic helpers. There is also a round hole in the side panel of the staircase to increase the ventilation and serve as a handrail; domestic helper also has her own storage space, in addition to the drawers at the stairs, there is also a large space that can place the maid large luggage. When resting at night, the corridor sliding door will be closed to ensure that the domestic helper has sufficient privacy, while in daytime, the sliding door is usually opened to maintain the inclusive relationship between the family and the maid.

完美平衡家庭傭人私隱共融的矛盾

香港地少人多，要擁有家傭的專屬房間基本不可能。社會上有很多不良業主為節省空間，剝削家傭的空間：有的家傭會睡在廚房摺床； 有的會住在板間出來很狹小且沒有通風的床位。本案業主與家傭之間已有多年感情，希望家傭有比較舒適且具私隱度的空間。Sim-Plex利用場地高樓底的優勢，將家傭的休憩空間升高一層，設有收納樓梯上落，上層是開揚通風，高位亦有黑鋼扶手及保護圍板，確保家傭的安全；樓梯側板亦設有一圓洞位增加通風及當成扶手； 家傭亦有其專屬收納空間，樓梯除有抽屜外，亦有一大格櫃位可放傭人大型行李。當晚上休憩時，走廊拉門會關上，保障家傭有足夠的私隱度，平時拉門則打開，保持家庭與傭人的共融關係。

It is always a difficult question to combine privacy and openness in a limited space. In this Project "Floating Plateau" , uses the concept of suspended space with movable sliding doors underneath to allow different living scenarios, in order to achieve a perfect balance between family and maid, childlike and storage.

在有限空間內要兼融私隱及開揚是一大難題，本案「 浮宅」以懸浮空間概念，配以活動拉門幻化不同生活場景，以達致家庭與傭人，童趣與收納機能的完美平衡。