This project involved a villa owned by a Hong Kong client that had cost and scheduling problems when it was constructed a few years ago. A producer had served as the coordinator and liaison between the HK client and a Japanese architect. Since the original architect did not directly interact with the client, he was imposing his own style on the villa without confirming the details with the client. The client was naturally dissatisfied with this unprofessional mode of operation.
Four to five years had passed since the villa was finished, and several problems had emerged. The owner hoped to repartition and renovate the property without involving the producer or the architect that originally handled the project. The principal person formerly in charge at the project management company consulted our office, and we were asked to participate.
One of the problems was the degradation of wooden louvers. The original architect utilized natural wood and fixed the louvers tightly, which caused degradation and cracking. To reduce the burden of future maintenance, we adopted louvers made of a wood-composite synthetic material. We also changed the movable installation details allowing for the contraction and expansion of the louvers following the Japanese climate, which has significant temperature and humidity differences.
To Be Continued
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