Hazukashi House, Kyoto by Alts Design Office
Tag: japan
We work late
Spectacular black & white Tokyo cityscape photography by Martin Stavars
We find space
We want a cabin
Final Wooden House in Kumamoto, Japan by Sou Fujimoto Architects / Photographed by Iwan Baan
Words from the architect: I thought of making an ultimate wooden architecture. It was conceived by just mindlessly stacking 350mm square.
Lumber is extremely versatile. In an ordinary wooden architecture, lumber is effectively differentiated according to functions in various localities precisely because it is so versatile. Columns, beams, foundations, exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings, floorings, insulations, furnishings, stairs, window frames, meaning all. However, I thought if lumber is indeed so versatile then why not create architecture by one rule that fulfills all of these functions. I envisioned the creation of new spatiality that preserves primitive conditions of a harmonious entity before various functions and roles differentiated.
There are no separations of floor, wall, and ceiling here. A place that one thought was a floor becomes a chair, a ceiling, a wall from various positions. The floor levels are relative and spatiality is perceived differently according to one’s position. Here, people are distributed three-dimensionally in the space. This is a place like an amorphous landscape with a new experience of various senses of distances. Inhabitants discover, rather than being prescribed, various functionalities in these convolutions.
This bungalow no longer fits the category of wooden architecture. If wooden architecture is merely something made from wood, then wood itself surpasses the architectural procedures to directly become a “place where people live” in this bungalow. It is of an existence akin to primitive conditions before architecture. Rather than just a new architecture, this is a new origin, a new existence.
Slippery Slope
House K by world renowned Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto / photographs by Iwan Baan, text by designboom:
Sou fujimoto‘s ‘house k’ is a voluminous, crescent-shaped home in northeastern osaka’s dense urban fabric. the approach to an disproportionate L shaped site is one of a soaring, thickened ground plane. pressed against the neighbors’ homes on three sides and bordered by a grove of trees, the rectangular volume literally grows out of the ground with a gentle concave motion until it peaks at the eastern-most point. the canopy therefore becomes a striking visual object from the exterior while providing the family with much-needed exterior space in the form of a rooftop terrace. the habitable roof additionally confronts the ubiquitous concrete slabs with a composition of trees in faceted metal planters.
Dot Dot Dot
“I’m Here, but Nothing” – black light art exhibition by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, 2000 using fluorescent sticker spots to fill an ordinary living room, giving the impression of a world seen through a magical, hallucinatory veil.
We are surrounded
‘A-art house’ by designed by Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima (of the Japanese studio SANAA) in collaboration with Yuko Hasegawa (chief curator of Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art) for the Inujima art house project inI nujima, Japan / Photographed by Iwan Baan
Graffiti of Speed
‘In his project “Graffiti of Speed / Mirror Symmetry“, the Japanese photographer Shinichi Higashi offers striking images of Tokyo, by combining symmetry and long exposure with beautiful light trails.’ Fantastic photographs between architecture and light painting (text by ufunk.net)
/// This post is part of our first Theme Week where since last Friday, you the public had the chance to choose between 5 theme/inspirations for each post this week. You chose ‘Reflection.’ :)
We punch holes
‘Ant House’ in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan by mA-style architects / photographed by Kai Nakamura
We are on fire
Remarkable and mysterious photographs of volcanic lightning, captured by German volcano enthusiast and photographer Martin Rietze, who shot these images of lightning bolts blasting out of the Japanese Sakurajima Volcano.
The volcano was part of the Osumi Peninsula until 1914. Today, it’s one of the most active volcanos in Asia. Rietze captured lighting erupting from the billowing smoke and ash–an unlikely phenomenon that NASA says is not yet fully understood.
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Needle in a strawstack
We change mood
Series of interesting portraits named ‘Photogenic Princess’, where the artists’ daughter, Kanna, is featured, by Japanese photographer Nagano Toyokazu
We are connected
Photos from the installation piece ‘Dialogue with Absence’ that was exhibited in Kenji Tangi Gallery in Tokyo, by artist Chiharu Shiota
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We have a house
‘House N’ in Chiba, Japan designed by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects and photographed by Fumihiko Ikemoto / Hiroyuki Shinozaki and Sota Matsuura – have created a house that encapsulates a young family’s vision for both their present and their future. With its simple and perfect design, the building provides a subtle and comforting atmosphere. Clean not sterile, calm not cold, this home is a breath of fresh air, designed to be a living symbol of a family’s life by utilizing its large roof and structure where shape, symmetry and quality materials take centre stage.
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We garden
In one of Tokyo’s densest neighborhoods Ryue Nishizawa has built House & Garden, a four-story study-residence for two writer-editors. The intention of the architect – Kazuyo Sejima’s partner in SANAA – was to come up with a transparent and totally permeable building. Rooms are joined with gardens, blurring the lines between interior and exterior, and spaces are fragmented. Climate comfort is achieved through fine glass walls placed at strategic places and with rails and curtains organizing everyday life. In an urban environment where lighting conditions are not ideal, the building seeks to bring in as much sunlight as possible by interspersing gardens with roofs on all floors, and creates a plant screen that protects the privacy of the inhabitants while allowing in daylight. / photographed by Iwaan Baan
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We stand out
Yakisugi House (Charcoal House), a residence located in Nagano, Japan designed by Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori and photographed by Edmund Sumner / The building is clad in charred cedar that was smoked in eight-metre lengths. Due to the length of timber used, the material warped during this process and the resulting gaps in the facade are filled with plaster. (via dezeen)
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Lightness of Being
The Silk Vortices of Japanese artist Akiko Ikeuchi / delicately crafted string sculptures constructed from extremely delicate silk threads, and despite the chaotic appearance are each based on precise plans blueprinting the complex internal framework.
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We are rounding things up
The wonderful Teshima Art Museum with its open gallery space featuring a 25cm thick concrete shell with two elliptical openings open to the elements, designed by Tokyo-based architect Ryue Nishizawa and Japanese artist Rei Naito opened in 2010 for the Setouchi International Art Festival in the Takamatsu Port area of Japan. / photographs by Iwan Baan
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A house within a house
‘Ant-house’ – a small house designed like an “Ant’s nest” out of timber in Shizuoka, Japan, by mA-style architects. A large cube enclosing an open space forming sub-spaces that resemble a nest. Photographs by Kai Nakamura.
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We got confused
Fantastic series of photographs from the book ‘Junction’ by Japanese photographer Ken Ohyama documenting very large and complex concrete highway junctions in and around Tokyo, Japan / see more of his work on flickr
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Tangled up
Photography of an installation created by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota.
/// The installation, named ” In Silence”, was inspired by one of the artist’s personal traumatic memories as a child, having witnessed her neighbor’s house burning down. The pieces tangled up in black thread are echoing a sketch-like imagery and the burnt piano is in fact a direct memory of the artist, as it resembles her neighbor’s piano blazed up in smoke.
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We teach
The Ryotaro Shiba Memorial Museum in Higashiosaka, Japan by architect Tadao Ando / 3D Visualization by Alex Roman
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Growing interest
Photograph of an incredibly delicate bonsai sculpture with an integrated castle tree-house. /// Featured in the series of sculptures made by the Japanese artist Takanori Aiba out of stone clay / resin clay / epoxy putty / hinoki veneer sheet / balsa veneer sheet / copper line / plastic/ resin/ Japanese ash. For more check here
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We need to shave
Photograph of a fantastic residential house in Tokyo, Japan completely covered in a natural green facade / captured by Guen-K
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We think outside the box
We are going on holiday

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Toyama, Japan / unknown photographer
We glow in the dark

Colorful Japanese Paper Lanterns / unknown photographer
We feel blue
Light installation of a blue – man hologram, by Japanese artist Makoto Tojikil
We are architects

House NA by Sou Fujimoto, Japan 2010 and his home for a Boston terrier.
We keep notes
We stand in line
Seijo Apartments Tokyo, Japan by Kazuyo Sejima / photographed by Iwan Baan
Nature’s Mirror
Black and white photograph of Mount Fuji and its reflection in the water. / by “femtowork”
In the net



Woods of Net by Tezuka Architects / photographs by Abel Erazo
Coming Back
Bridge over the Tadami river in Fukushima, Japan