The Broken Home is an unconventional, X-shaped home whose layout has been optimized for the digital age and the need for privacy.
As we move deeper into the tech age, some architects are eager to bring us back to the analog days. Others are embracing this digital era to harmonize our living spaces with our technological needs. Whether it’s through smart technology or essentialist floor plans, architects are integrating technology into our home spaces in unprecedented ways.
Designer: Integrated Field Co., Ltd. (IF)
The Broken Home, from Integrated Field Co., Ltd. (IF), is a contemporary home designed specifically for today’s digital age that optimizes the home space for digital interaction and working from home.
Primarily concerned with privacy, the Broken Home is envisioned with an X-shaped frame that separates private living quarters into four quadrants. As residents enter the Broken Home, a long corridor functions as a transitional passage, directing each resident to their respective living space. The architects at IF designed the Broken Home to have significantly fewer common spaces than traditional homes, reducing the common spaces to comprise only 12% of the home.
The choice to decrease the number of common spaces was a direct result of modern families spending more time in their private quarters with technology than time together in living spaces.
With the digital age defining the Broken Home’s floor plan and finished look, the IF architects integrated timely features like a specialized passage for directing online food deliveries and packages to their assigned recipient.
In addition to this, IF incorporated descending partition screens so residents can find privacy even in common spaces. For instance, instead of a chandelier, the dining area comes with overhead privacy screens that resemble the look of hair hood dryers from salons.
When residents are in their personal spaces IF made sure to include hidden features that aid residents during the workday. Each bedroom is equipped with indirect lighting to stave off the cold, harsh feeling of overhead light fixtures and wall spaces provide screening opportunities for live streaming and social media usage.
Fold-out furnishings help to make the most of the floor space and maintain the home’s minimalist appeal.
From the outside, the Broken Home appears like a refined, single-story residence.
Inside the Broken Home, residents find the optimal conditions for living in the digital age.
