STROOG社屋

ドミノから、次のシステムへ
空間的にも時間的にも、アウトラインのない建築のシステムはできないだろうか、と考えてきた。
もちろん私たちにはドミノ・システムという、どこまでも拡張可能で、産業構造を含めて広く普及した思考と構造の方法があるのだが、あの自由と言いながらもグリッドモデュールという絶対的な基本単位が存在していることには、人間を均質的に捉える思考がその基礎に据えられているようで、カタにはめられる気持ちの悪さというのか、違和感を消し去れないでいる。
アウトラインを持たず、グリッドモデュールからも自由な空間的・構築的なドミノに代わるシステムはないものか。そのヒントになったのは、このSTROOG社の代表の自邸である「立山の家」と、その展開である「LIAMFUJI」になる。この２つの仕事は、共に壁面を一枚で形成するほどの大断面集成材で作られていて、その巨大な壁＝梁による十分な曲げ応力と、これも十分なスタンス幅による鉛直方向に剛な接合によって、上下層で構造がグリッド状の「通り芯」から自由になり、その結果、空間もまた断面的に新たな関係で接続されることになった。これらの時点では、平面的にはグリッドが踏襲され、空間システムも完結していたので、これをほぐし、時間的・空間的にアウトラインのないシステムへと向かうことを考えた。
STROOG本社でとったのは、長さはまちまちの幅３０００mmのCLT原板を複数用意し、これに任意に切り込みを入れ、井桁状にノックダウンするように組み上げる方法である。CLTは直交積層合板という和名の通り直交する２軸に強軸を持つため、どの部位も鉛直に抵抗する柱と水平に抵抗する梁の性質を両有し、なおかつ無垢材であるので切り込み位置はミリ単位で自由になる。これと切り込みの噛み合い深さがそのまま接合スタンスとなってラーメンが成立する構造的合理性と合わせて、立体的にグリッドモデュールに束縛されないシステムが成立する。またアウトラインは完結せずに、ほつれるように空間的・時間的な余地へと解放されているので、生命体のように場面場面で必要性や環境の変化に適合しながら、どこまでも成長していくことも可能になる。
そして生み出された建築的空間は、これを現実化したCLTのラミナと同じように、方向性のある空間が直交するように組み上げられ、そのように異方に積層する空間群を、斜めに抜ける関係性が縫い合わせるといった、全く新しい空間性が生まれている。この均質ではない空間の関係性と、CLTの質量の周囲に生まれるアトモスフィアとが重なることで生まれる場所性は、ドミノシステムの持つ均質さとは全く異なる質のものになった。
新しい木材が生む、新しいシステムである。それは、ドミノの普遍性は引き継ぎながらも、より多様な、人の居場所を生み出していく生命的なシステムとなったのではないかと考えている。（原田真宏）


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「新建築」2023年1月/新建築社

ROVAL

鉄の森
大阪府枚方市を敷地としたROVALの新社屋兼発送センターの計画。同社は常温亜鉛めっき塗料の国内最大手メーカーであり、社屋はその製品性能の実証実験を兼ねるため、鉄を主体構造とすることが求められた。効率的な管理のため発送センターとオフィスは同じ空間の中に併置されることになったが、発送センター向けの大スパンを基準として、一般流通規格の重量鉄骨型鋼によって従来型の格子状の架構を設定すると、人間のスケールと構造のそれとがどうにも合致せず「社員の方々が日々を過ごす就労時間を豊かなものとしたい」という社長の思いに応えられるようには思えなかった。そもそも一言でオフィスと言っても、そこでの行為の質も様々であり、それらに随意にフィットしようと思うと格子状構造の一律さはもとより、型鋼の規格の割り付けも段階が荒すぎるようだ。
そこで発送センターとしての大モジュールから、細々と設定すべきオフィスのモジュールまで、スケーラブルなモジュールを可能にする構築／構成のシステムを求めることにした。
それは型鋼ではなく、スチールプレート（St-Pl：鋼板）を用いたものだ。St-Pl:16mmをレシプロカルに組み合わせた単位を基本とするが、そのサイズ・縦横（X /Y）比は、オフィスのアクティビティや発送センターの空間の必要性に応じて様々に変化し、それにつれて高さ（Z）もまた力学的に応答して変わることで、場所性にさらに多様さを加えている。各プレートは両端をピンとなる接合として単純梁とし、プレート上辺は直行する角パイプ列（150×150×4.5@600）で拘束されることでcut-T的に適当な構造として機能する。また柱は基礎と一体となったRC造片持ち形式で、レシプロカル単位の中心に生じる四角形で掴まれ架構と接合されるが、時にレシプロ中心の四角形は柱型より大きく、その隙間は熱抜きを兼ねたトップライトとなって自然光を取り込んでいる。
STROOG本社に続いて、モジュールフリーでオープンエンドな新しい架構システムの探求である。求める空間の質の多様さに始まり、それに応じて架構が変化し更に場所性が揺らぐその有様は、ところどころに落ちる木漏れ日のような光や、それぞれ幹から差し伸ばされた枝のような梁の形態的な効果と相まって、“鉄の森”のようにも映る。自然の森と同様に、この無機質な森もまた、人々にどこに居てどう使うか、つまり主体的な解釈を促し続けることになるのだろう。


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「新建築」2023年5月/新建築社

STROOG LAB

KURUMI BUILD.

南に寄せ、北へ開く
千駄ヶ谷の鳩森神社近く、アパレル系のアトリエや問屋に小さな事務所群、それらの合間に住居が程よく混在するエリアに敷地はある。
施主家族は代々ここで生まれ育ち、もう亡くなられた祖母は著名なピアニストで、その娘である母親と一緒に町の子供たちにピアノを教えながら暮らしていた。この祖母や母親に限らず、職住が一体、もしくは近接してある暮らしぶりが、この地域特有の魅力になっているようだった。
ここに最上階を施主の住居兼ピアノ教室、最下階をテナント、その間の2層を賃貸住宅とする計画を依頼された時、上述のような町と繋がった住と職のあり方を引き継げないかと考えた。
今回のような東西に長く南北に狭い敷地形状に集合住宅を計画する場合、東西を長軸とする建築ボリュームを北側に寄せ、南を採光用の庭とし、反対の北側長辺を片廊下とするのが定石だ。しかしそうすると、そもそも薄暗い片廊下には、採光のない北側へと押しやられた水回りユニットが並び、およそ人の居場所ではなくなってしまう。このいわば「人気（ひとけ）の真空地帯」が、町と集合住宅の関係を完全に断ち切ってしまっているのである。
そこで今回は定石を反転して建築を南側に寄せ、その南側をアプローチ、逆の北側を街に開いた緑地とする配置計画とした。ボリュームはバスケットのフェイドアウェイシュートのように後ろ斜め上空へと仰反ることで北庭に光を届け、居住者は通常のように隣棟の暗い北壁面ではなく、直達光のない北面性を生かしたパノラミックな大開口から、明るい緑の木立を眺めて暮らすことになる。反対側のアプローチは、一本階段として町に直に接続する明るい街路のような空間となり、各賃貸住戸の南東・南西の角部屋（これらの角部屋は、敷地割の状況から南に寄っても明るい）に公共的な性格を与えている。実際にここは、小さな商業やアトリエ、SOHO等として使用されており、この地域らしい町と接続した職住のありかたが継承されている。
できあがった建築はクルミビルと名付けられた。RC洗い出しの柔らかな質感とコロンとした佇まいともよく似合う名だけれど、木の実を介して人と親密な関係をもつクルミの樹と、ちいさな職を介して町と親密に関係するこの集合住宅の、何かほのかな繋がりを示しているような気もして、少し嬉しく思っている。（原田真宏）

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「新建築」2022年8月/新建築社

Tone of Seashore / 海辺のトーン

一、二、三
大洋を南に見晴らす斜面状の住宅地。その海岸側最前列に敷地はある。水平線へと広がる風景はもちろん、南からの海風と大気に満ちているような自然光は既に心地よく、求められた週末住居の環境としては十分で、むしろ余計な建築的操作はそれを濁らせてしまう気さえした。
では、最小限の建築的操作とは何か。天地開闢ではないけれど自然環境は線を引かれ分割されることで、意味が定まり人の世界＝空間に変わる。この環境に線を引き分割するという根源的な操作を無数に繰り返すことで、日々、私たちは空間を設計しているのだろう。そこで建築の根本にまで立ち返るように、海というひとつの環境（一）を、ふたつに分け（二up／二down）、そして、更に3つに分割する（三up／三mid／三down）という操作のみに、設計過程を還元することにした。
まずふたつに分けた時、環境は分化し空間に転じ、更に3つに分けたことでその意味が複層化した。それはそのまま場所性の違いとして、たとえば「リビング越しにビーチまで見下ろすワークスペース（一↔︎二up↔︎三up）」や「リビング足元を介して水平線を眺める暗がりのキッチン（一↔︎二up↔︎三mid）」、「ゲストルームを通して庭へ抜けるエントランス（一↔︎二down↔︎三down）」などとして様々に現象している。それは空間同士の多様な関係であると同時に、海という原自然との距離や奥性のバリエーション、つまり場所性のトーンである。
これらの空間の関係は視線や導線だけでなく、風や光によっても繋がれる。二と三の空間の合間には、分割を構造的に接続する階段室が配されるが、構造体であるRC部分以外はストライプ状の木製とすることで、風と光の通り道として機能している。特に風は、南面する開口から入り階段室を昇って重力換気によってハイサイド窓、あるいは北側「三up」の段違い窓の開口方建部から抜け、海からの爽やかな空気を室内全体に届けている。
さて、操作はこのように最小限としたが、それを表現の目的にする気にはならなかった。海辺の緩い気分に「無」であろうとする強い意志（たとえばミニマリズムの）は似合わないからだ。一、二、三というごく単純な分割は、海という自然から人の空間へとつながる穏やかなトーンとなって、しずかに居場所を生み出してくれればいいと思っている。


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「住宅特集」2022年9月/新建築社

Entô

日本海に浮かぶ隠岐島。
太古からの地形や生態系が保存された独特な景観で知られており、２０１５年には、ユネスコ世界ジオパークに登録されている。
ここを訪れる方々のホテルとして、海士町が主体となってこの「Entô」は計画された。町は島全体をホテルと見なす「“島を繁盛させる”海士町観光基本計画」を策定していて、その実行という位置付けである。この構想は、島全域が観光資源であることはもちろん、ホテル運営全般に町民皆が直接・間接に関わることで島の産業の復興や関係人口の増加を図る地方活性化計画であり、「Entô」はその象徴であり実現を担う存在となる。

島を訪れ、まず見るべきものはその独特な自然の景観である。
都市部のホテルであれば土地利用効率から「間口／奥行き」は「狭く／深く」なるものだが、この計画では逆にそれを徹底的に「広く／浅く」反転させ、長い間口側は全て開口部としている。その結果、室内環境に占める自然景観の割合は極限まで高まり、宿泊者はジオパークそのものに抱かれているかのような宿泊経験を得ることになる。また、この客室空間の「浅さ」は、海士町という離島ならではの「人間味のある島民の日常」との距離の近さを生み出してもいる。外廊下形式で、レセプションを介さずに外部と直接行き来できる部屋と町の関係は、ホテルというよりもコテージや民泊に近いのかもしれない。島全体をホテルと見做すコンセプト通り、維持やアクティビティなど各種のサービスの多くはホテルの枠組みを越えて島の方々によって直に行われるが、ここでの交流を含め、「ホテル暮らし」ではない「数日の島暮らし」は他所では得難い印象を残すことだろう。

ここまでは空間フェイズの話だ。これを現実のものとするためには、「離島」という特殊な状況への「構築」面でのストーリーも考える必要がある。
隠岐島の中でも海士町の位置する島前エリアは人口１万人を割り込むほどで、当然ながら、ホテルを実現できるほどの建設産業は存在しない。現地での作業を最小化し、本土でほとんどの作業が終わってしまうような、そしてジオパークに相応しい親自然的な新しいプレファブのシステムが求められた。

提案したのは、大版のCLTを用意し、これを本土において仕口・継手に留まらず、サッシや設備スリットまでコンピュータ連動の加工機によって、3Dモデル通り細密にプレカットしておくシステムである＊。大版のCLTは構造・界壁・断熱・仕上げまでを兼ねてしまう複合材なので、島ではこれをプラモデルのように組み立てるだけで、ほとんど完成してしまうことになり、島での建設力は短期・少量の投入で済む。福井のCLT加工場〜海士町の現場〜東京の意匠・構造事務所と、モノと人はほとんど移動せず、ネットを介しての加工データのやり取りで工程は管理されたが、この実質的な「リモート構法」であることは「離島」という地理的制約をキャンセルするにも有効であり、covid-19による移動制限下となっても工事進行への影響を最小限に抑えることにも貢献した。これらの省工程・省移動によるLCCO2削減やマスティンバーによるカーボンストレージ効果も、ジオパークの思想に共鳴するものであることは、改めて言うまでもない。
（＊この新しいプレファブシステムはかつての化学建材系のそれとは異なり、地元大工や木工系職種の参画も可能なので、 少ないながらも存続してきた地元の生業の保全にも貢献し、将来のメンテナンスを可能にもしている）

「Entô」という名称は、日本海にポツンと浮かぶ情景を思い浮かべて決められた。
３６０°の自然にぐるりと囲まれてあるということは、社会力の保護の中にある都市生活とは異なって、飾りない自然との応答がある。それは厳しくもあるが、充足した存在の喜びともなるだろう。
そんな、自然世界と自身の応答に耳を澄まし、存在を確かめられるような直截なホテルになれば、と考えている。

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（原田真宏）

流山おおたかの森S・C FLAPS ・ 南口都市広場

完成しない都市の始まりをつくる
流山おおたかの森駅周辺はとても若い街だ。
今世紀に入ってから開発が本格化し、それ以前は延々と続く平坦地に田畑が広がるだけであったという。今もそのお陰だろうか、駅名の示す通り、時には絶滅危惧種のオオタカが飛来するような豊かな自然が都市に重なった、魅力ある生活環境を作り出している。その都市開発の駅東側最後の１区画が今回の敷地であり、これで一応の「都市の完成」を見ることになる。

しかし逆に、ここで考えたことは「いかに都市を完成させないか」ということだった。戦後以降の様々な新規の都市開発を見聞きし、その結果を体験してきた者として、従来の静的な「理想形としてのマスタープラン」の「完成」を目指すという開発手法をそのまま信じるのは難しい。もっと言えば都市を、完成を前提に捉えるのではない、もっと動的で、時間的にも空間的にも開いた状態として構想する方が適切ではないのだろうか、と思うところがあった。そのような視点から既存の街を見たとき、事業主であるディベロッパーがその最初期から主導的に開発に関わりつつも、他の業者の参画を排除せずに、複合的かつ段階的に整備されてきた駅周辺の、良い意味で統一性の希薄な状況はポジティブな可能性として感じられた。その特徴を活かして私たちが「完成」すべきは、むしろ「完成しない都市の始まりの状態」であると考えたのである。

“丘”であり、同時に、“すり鉢”であるように
既存の周辺環境を眺めてみると、駅前広場を中心に、二つの駅舎とそれに対面する大規模ショッピングセンター、それらに掛け渡された空中歩廊、といった諸要素が形態的な統合性もなく、それぞれの顔をしてバラバラと配されていた。この個々の要素の自律性という既存都市の特性を肯定しながら、そして群としても機能する様に、新しい建築の性質を決定することにしたのである。
それは建築単体としては凸型の「丘」として、広場を含んだ周辺施設との都市的な群としては凹型の「すり鉢」地形となるように造形するというものである。建築計画学では平面的に内を向き合うカーブした配置をソシオペタルと呼び「集中」の効果を生むとされ、逆に外側を向く配置をソシオフーガルと呼び「解放」性を生み出すとされるが、それは都市計画にも適用できる。魅力ある都市には周囲を囲い込まれた“すり鉢”的な集約感のある広場が常にあり、かつ都市全体を見晴らす“丘”もまた同時に存在するもので、これらは平面的なソシオペタル/フーガルに１次元を加え立体化した様なものだ。

重なりあう都市
今回、固定的なマスタープランに代えて、将来にわたって都市の成立を保証する計画手法として、そんな「丘/すり鉢」という基礎構造を新たに導入したのだが、それは個々の都市要素の自律性を上から圧するものではなく、あくまで「重なり合う状態」で共存している。具体的には、建築は北/東側で半分ずつ食い込み合った「丘」＝ひな壇状の幾何ボリュームとして自律させつつ、同時に新設した円弧状の木質空中回廊や周辺施設と合わせて、駅前広場を底とした「すり鉢」地形ともなって都市的な集中を生み出すように構成している。商業施設としてはトレッキングルートのような縦動線を外周にまとうことで人々の往来を外部化し、賑わいを都市に表出しながら、行き止まりのない立体的な回遊導線を生み出し、周辺施設も含めた立体都市を成立させてもいる。
丘の頂上にある屋上広場まで登ると街の現在が見晴らせるが、若い都市生活者たちが思い思いに新しい街を自分の居場所として活用し始めている様子が見てとれる。都市環境にオオタカの棲む自然が重なってある様に、全体の計画と個々の営為は上／下のヒエラルキーもなく重なることで、多様な人々の主体的な参画が促されているのである。ちょっと散らかったリビングルームのような多層的で動的な状態を「都市の始まり」として肯定し、デザインで明示することで、活力溢れる都市が自走していくよう意図したのである。（原田真宏)

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「新建築」2021年5月/新建築社

hotel Siro

I like hotels that remind me I’m really staying in the city.
You may think I’m stating the obvious, but how many of you can say you’ve really experienced the city after spending a night in a hotel there?
Usually, you enter a hotel from the street through the front door and reach a rather secluded lobby where you check in. You ride in a box as the elevator takes you up, walk down a dimly-lit corridor, open the door to your room and pass through the narrow space in front of the bathroom before finally reaching the space you’ll spend the night in. Enveloped in many layers, the room is so isolated that you find yourself separated from the city of Tokyo, and I think you must be aware only that you’re staying in a certain hotel brand.
I always feel that this must be really boring for the traveler. So, what we wanted to create here was a hotel where guests would experience the uniqueness of the city.
The hotel’s design brings Tokyo’s layered streets directly into the building. Every flight of stairs, which directly connects each floor with the city, has a different design, just like stairs in hilly cities like Nagasaki and Onomichi. The stairways lead to a loggia-like open-air hallway where breezes can blow through. Every room is directly accessed from this Tokyo roji alleyway-like hall. The rooms include this engawa-like access from the hallway and a doma entryway, both reminiscent of a ryokan traditional inn, making them novel, contemporary yet Japanese. By opening the shoji screens and sliding doors, you can revel in the cityscape of the Ikebukuro district spreading out below, and find your wanderlust fulfilled.
I’ve heard that a traveler is called “a wandering bird (wandervogel)” in German.
I hope you will relax and sleep in this hotel is if it were a perch in a city you’re flying over, nestled in the city’s embrace.

A&A LIAM FUJI

旅を内包するホテル
ホテルは旅の中にある。
そして旅の魅力は、遠く見知らぬ土地をさまようことで、日常帰属する社会の文脈や保護から離れ、世界を清新な目で眺めることにあるのだろう。しかし直に世界と接するのだから、 それは喜びであるのと同時に不安でもある（だから旅の途中の安心できるシェルターとして、ホテルは重要な存在となるのだ）。 この不安と喜びは、社会の既定の認知を揺るがすことで新たな視座を提示するアートの本質でもある。この意味で旅とアートは同質だ。
官民一体となったアートによる街づくりである「岡山芸術交流」と連動し、アーティストと建築家が協働する都市内分散型ホテルプロジェクト「A&A」は、岡山の日常生活の只中にアートを仕込む企てである。アートを旅と読み替え得るなら、今回実現すべきは、従来の「旅の中のホテル」の反対、つまり「旅を内包するホテル」であると考えた。

有限なホテルの中に、広大な旅の経験を折りたたむ。このために導入した原理はとても単純だ。 それは、h:2600mm×t:210mmの岡山産CLT板を「田」の字型に組み、これを三段ズラしながら重ねるだけ、である。 h:2600mmという壁＝梁成は、その巨大な曲げ剛性と長い接合スタンスが保証する「剛」の接合によって、上下階で通り芯を共有するという木造の原則から建築を自由にし、 その結果、例えば１階の第１象限の空間は、従来のように２階の第1象限のみの直下ということにはならず、 ２階の第1・第2・第3・第4象限と重なることになる。この関係をそれぞれ上下動線で接続し複数層重ねると、接続のバリエーションは無限に増加し、 動線はまさに旅のように延長しつつ、迷路化していく。極めて単純な構成/構築の原理が、旅の複雑な現象を生み出すのである。 木の迷宮のような室内は岡山県産CLTをそのままあらわしとしているが、これは外壁を波板スレート+木毛セメント版t25の認定形式で構成し、 防火構造の外壁としたことで、安全かつ安価に実現したものだ。周辺の特徴のない都市景観を遮り、空へと向かう垂直の開口方向は、 日常から離れた旅の経験を演出しつつ自然光をふんだんに取り込み、分厚いCLT壁の防音性能と合わせ、県庁所在地である大都市の只中にありながら、明るく静かな抽象的な空間を生み出した。

協働したアーティスト、リアム・ギリックによる巨大な文字列は、気象学者・真鍋淑郎による地球環境問題を論理的に表現した数式である。 この環境問題に代表される社会的に構造化してしまった諸問題の解決には、その束縛から離れた子供のような直截で客観的な視点（例えばグレタ・トゥンベリのような）が必要となる。 盲信を揺るがせるアートと、旅そのものである建築によって、人々を日常にいながらにして迷わせ、一時、社会の外部へと連れ出してしまうことを目論んだのである。


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「新建築」 2020年1月/新建築社

Peninsula House

Building a land
A building can be made by two kinds of actions. One is to build a frame on the land. Another is to work on the land itself, or to create a land.
Wood and steel structure belong to the former group, and reinforced-concrete (RC) structure and masonry belong to the latter group. It is understandable if you think about building a house of wood.
To make upper structure is, needless to say, to construct a frame, and it can be said that to make lower part of RC foundation is to work on a sound land at low humidity. Although there is a gap in proportion, those two components make a building.

We, as living organisms, would feel sympathy and find value to ephemerality of a frame, because it stands and destined to rot and fall down eventually. In contrast, to land, we might expect and aspire to obtain permanency that guarantee good condition for survival timelessly. When we confront land in respect to architecture, there is always intention to create something like a foundational quality that promise good life beyond time.
At the tip of a peninsula, in the site facing ocean in the east, we set our stance on how to confront the site: It was to fully capture the building as a “land.”

The site has strong attraction; innocent nature of ocean, peninsula, and rock mountain which show rich and sometimes dramatic change by season and time. However, there is no protectors from strong wind and wave often attack the land, as it is at the tip of the peninsula, and a sense of threat is always given, and frame building is felt to be insecure.
We thought that what to pursue is to create a geography that expand the attraction of the land and decrease the threat of it. However, at the same time, artificial manipulation introduced into the enchanting but threatening “innocent nature” should be minimum.

In order to design the building that realize above thoughts, firstly we prepared a rectangular-concrete-solid of which size is 30 meter in width, 17 meter in depth, and 11 meter in height. The mold forms of softwood lumber were constructed at an angle that is coordinated with this land’s characteristic pattern, called “cross-lamination.”

We located the rectangular-concrete-solid along seaside in the east and scraped off the southeast upper corner with negative volume of 23 meter in width, 11 meter in depth, and 7 meter in height.
By the work, “horizon plane” raised on the GL+4,000 plane was created so that the building avoids storm surges, and at the same time, “L-block” was created so that the residential area is protected from seasonal wind from the northwest in winter and receives sea breeze from the southeast.(The L-block also trims away the scenery of industrial area covering from north to west of the site.) The space nestled in the wing confronts horizon spreading far east, as well as receive sunlight from south.
Until this point, the process is a kind of reasonable process for architectural geographic formation. Only one thing that we introduced in the process intentionally (or, we could call it “arbitrarily”) is an “angle slit” cutting up to the northeast direction.

It is a large stair inducing people to come under the L-volume and climb up until being released to sky and ocean. This first throw of the flow line of special angle connects inside and outside of the space smoothly, and created sequence to reach the roof terrace from where people can view Mt. Fuji, the last architectural peninsula. We expect that the introduced sequence starting from an angle line makes borderless and harmonious integration of whole space involving specialties of all the senary and environment, and moreover, relationships with suroundings. Those specialties and relationaships were obtained by the geographic works.
I think that we created “the land” architeturally, and by drawing special line on it, we created the “permanent palce to stay for persons.”

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J of JiNS Roppongi Hills

tonarino

Chiryu Afterschool

Terakoya for Natural Science
Chiryu city in Aichi Prefecture was the 39th of the Fifty-three post-towns of Tokaido.
The site is along the old Tokaido Street where Honjin (officially appointed inn) was once positioned. It is fair to say that it is the center of the town in terms of local history. Based on such historical importance, a Chiryu-based global robot manufacturing company decided to purchase this ownerless land and make a facility for regional contribution.
The program is a complex of an afterschool(=Terakoya) that teaches natural science through scientific experiments in English, as well as a cafe with kitchen studio in which local people, especially mothers, are able to gather and relax. The client had an intention of displaying the way to internationally succeed through the skills of natural science to the local children, as their company has been achieving.
To match the ambition, we built two pillars: one was to inherit historic context respecting the history of the site, while the other was to conform to the natural science on the ground of science experiment and robot technology background of the client.

Connect with local history
There are many remaining shrines and temples facing to the old Tokaido that create the calm neighborhood nearby. All of their layouts obey the following order: low-eaved gate facing the street, precinct which also works as a public space, and then large-eaved main building in the back. Following this, the gate part that houses a cafe and a staff room was positioned to face the street, then the hall that corresponds to a precinct, extending to the adjacent park (and the landscape of the big tree) and the large space housing classrooms in the back. It is very common that when visiting an old shrine, the line of sight would be smoothly led to sky through a big curved roof of the main temple after walking through the low gate into the precinct. Such experience is also reintroduced by reversing the spatial configuration of the roof to the ceiling warping upward. Moreover, the higher roof of the main volume can be seen beyond the one of low-rafter eave from the old Tokaido: it is the exact appearance of local temples.

Following the principle of natural science
On the other hand, the existence of this architecture is realized by the shape of the catenary curve defined by gravity - the most fundamental element in natural science. The tender roof like a timber cloth, which is supported by two parallel steel Torii-gate-shaped frames, covers the whole space creating architecture for children gently. This timber fabric was weaved with warp of short laminated European Red Pine sticks (Length: 1500mm, Width: 105mm) and woof of two steel rods(φ22mm) perforating them. Only tension occurs within the structure due to the property of the catenary curve, so this gentle and soft wooden roof frame enables to cover a large-span (up to 20m) pillarless space.

Simple principle, diverse phenomenon
The completed building acquires gentle atmosphere when looking from the old Tokaido, building up a peaceful historical street view together with the shrines and temples nearby. Meanwhile, it appears to be a pure geometric volume when looking from the adjacent park, displaying the principle of natural science that could be easily learnt by children. Furthermore, when entering the interior, there is a tender and relaxed space for the children just like under a sheet. This kind of diverse phenomenon of architecture is not a collection of independent elements, but is developed by one simple principle. We believe it would be able to get a timeless and universal strength by opening toward the regional diversity while still holding an intact principle as a backbone.


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『Shinkenchiku』2016.11/Shinkenchiku-sha

House toward Tateyama

The site, which overlooks the rice fields and the Tateyama peaks, is located in Toyama Prefecture of the Hokuriku region.
Here, the client wanted to build a house for a family of four.
We searched for a composition that integrates spaces with two distinct qualities: one that is free and expansive, and opens toward the rich environment; and another that is enclosed to nurture intimate relationships between the family members.
The idea was achieved by placing a wooden, introverted space of a moderate scale over a RC structure that was arranged discretely to freely extend toward the rich surroundings. The resultant composition integrates two separate systems with different baselines over a single plane. The baseline, therefore, does not continue throughout the plan, creating a design which would have been impossible to achieve in the past. However, this forces the upper and lower spaces to cross over each other, causing multiple connections and light interferences, and breathing life into the house as a dynamic phenomenon.
In terms of construction, “liberation from the baseline” is made possible by the large-section laminated timber with 2,100 mm height that holds the upper wooden structure. This gigantic vertical section achieves enough flexural strength to secure the entire floor height at once. Furthermore, it provides enough vertical stance and forms a perfect wooden rigid joint in this direction, making it possible to easily support the structurally “illogical” problems caused as a result of having different baseline on the top and bottom layers.
Although I just wrote “illogical”, when I look at the surrounding environment, there aren’t many examples of purely logical structures (setting principle aside). The peaks of Tateyama, for example, have rocks that overhang in one place and soar in another, which is a form of nature created by having enough quantities of matter. The interest generated by generous wood or concrete mass that exist freely and independently from the baseline is similar to the one we feel when we observe the peaks of Tateyama.
Until now, the baseline had been an absolute limitation in architecture. By liberating architecture from the baseline, we shall see it advance into a new phase, both in terms of space and existence.


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『GA HOUSES 149』2016.9/A.D.A.EDITA Tokyo

KASA

Generous form of ‘an umbrella’
The site locates deep inside a small residential area within Tokai region. There is a forest park consisting of deciduous broad-leaved trees that easily exceed 20m tall behind the site, and a sun garden tended with care for a long time on the south. The neighborhood that has last for over 40 years cultivates a relaxing human relation. People don’t need to lock their houses; abandoned old house and its garden are used for hangout of housewives. Instead of standing opposite to each other, peaceful nature and the small society are combined together. There comes a fabric of organic relationship bringing out space for fertile life, or saying local culture.
When a rebuilding project was scheduled here, a typical form of a house -- with clear distinction between inside and outside by walls, was not seemed suitable for this place. However, in terms of psychology, ‘house’ without unity and centrality did not work for the client’s family of 3 generations either.
So the solution was the form of ‘an umbrella’.
The form of ‘the hanging roof’ with one center column supporting a spindle shaped roof enabled peripheral wall to stand free from structure because they no longer needed to bear compressive force(a little tensile force endured to prevent falling down.) This was convenient to set up ‘boundaries’ corresponding to diverse relationships among the surroundings. The shape of space whose center located the highest, and the existence of the central column would provide unity and warmth in daily life in this house.
In concrete, the timber square-shape hanging roof with a central column was stretched east and west along the shape of the site. In addition, the central column was offset east of geometrical center to create a ‘gentle-slope deck on the roof like a hill’ facing the western forest. The hanging roof was located on the axis of the neighborhood, and peripheral walls under the roof were rotated by ‘9 degrees’ from the roof in accordance with the forest and the sunlight. This degree allowed a wide entrance porch under eave as well as a sunny ‘engawa(veranda)’ that directly connected the eastern residential area to the western forest park, by which continuity of the neighborhood became stronger. Besides, hanging roof structure ensured 18m-wide continuous windows and 3m-wide cantilever along the south border beside the spacious veranda.
We put an umbrella on the gentle climate of Tokai region. The opened umbrella will fluctuate gently due to the environmental condition. People would gather under it naturally, and correspondingly live a relaxing life. The architect, who is the eldest son of the client and lives in Tokyo, is imagining such promising future.


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『JT』2016.7/Shinkenchiku-sha

Roadside Station in Mashiko

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House in Araiyakushi

Embrace aspects of the city directly
The surrounding of the site is a dense area of dwellings and commercial buildings. There are many land allotments before the war. The client’s request was a home office for a family consisting of 3 generations. The city has existed for a long time, and there is no clear urban axis. The existing houses crowded together with diversity in type of structure, scale, and use. Without planning, they developed in chaos but converge at characteristic and interesting balanced state, which seems to show us very Japanese aspects of cities.
Classically, monolithic ‘plus’ volume was usually built as a symbol of order to contrast a disorderly site background like this. However, it would just come down to one factor of dis-order, and discard the benefit of the city’s characteristics as well. Thus, we believed it is better to embrace dis-order as aspects of the cities positively and then convert it into a new quality of architecture.
This housing, functioning as office and residence for 3 generations, indeed possessed a certain volume. But instead of squeezing it as a square volume into the existing city, we decided to rather ‘infiltrate’ it through urban elements such as neighborhood, streets, existing trees, garden-stones, old well, shrine, etc. As a result, the outline became a complicated ameba-shape having several folds, which remained the aspects of the city. For uneven ‘human lives’, it can be also read as preferable ‘topography’.
In order to convert such urban topography into ‘the place of human’, the only architectural process, if it’s appropriate to say, was ‘a rectangle courtyard’ that located as a ‘minus’ architecture volume in the center of the complicated plan. It of course allowed comfortable lighting and ventilation while several folds were used as characteristic rooms suitable for various lives. In addition, a decent distance and space were secured among each family. Although parents and children were independent households, they were also integrated by inner ‘order’, namely the rectangular courtyard as well as the climbing beams sloping towards that courtyard with the same gradient.
By looking back what we had done, we found that it might just simplify a normal and prolix process -- placing ‘a simple architecture’ in ‘a diverse city’ and then create ‘residential diversity‘ inside -- into directly grasping ‘a diverse city’ as ‘residential diversity’. It might also reverse the way of architecture, the unlimited ‘ordering’ of cities by connecting city and individual life through reversing the inside and outside of architecture imitating the inward outside, the courtyard.
In any case, I believe ‘the future’ of architecture, which starts from ‘the end’ of urbanization, is very interesting.


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『JT』2016.1/Shinkenchiku-sha



Order infiltrating into the city / construction method without outline
For a long time, ‘order’ has been close to the center of my interest.
Clear ‘order’ established by social cooperation is essential to materialize the existence of extremely plural architecture, which is able to secure scientific rationality (i.e. structure, construction, material, energy,) as well as correspond with sociological rationality (i.e. economy, law, custom, historical culture). However, the world is a dynamic environment where all matters of universal nature continue to originate in. Although it is perfect at some point, static order could fail to function due to its completeness. From what I understand, the ‘coolness’ quality of completed order results from its fundamental character conflicting with us who are actually dynamic existence.
Nevertheless, as I said, it is nonsense to take ‘disorder’. Only does the support from complicated and incomplete order enable possibility of architecture in disorder ‘style’. What I desire is the order that has not been completed. We call it ‘open order’ or ‘flexible order’. It is the order, which will not lose its integrity that endures temporal changes and allows new participation from the outside.

One thing that I use as a model is order of creatures. It is a dynamic order keeping its integrity as an organism while still embracing usual changes of external environment and time. It is simple and efficient rather than conspicuously weird. For example, a kind of plants spreads its branches and leaves at every 144 degrees (called ‘phyllotaxis’) in order to prevent overlapping and therefore catch more sunlight.
By using such ‘open order’, I would like to realize architecture for the living world.


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『JT』2015.1/Shinkenchiku-sha

YUI BOX

Design for "1g"
Materialization is the process that translates metaphysical geometry into physical existence. It is perhaps a common sense in architectural design that when physical materials and abstract geometry approach ultimate balance, the in-between ambiguity will generate aesthetics of strength. Rather than appreciating specific decorativeness, “Shihara” is the jewelry brand whose concept focuses on the ongoing “strength” within jewelry that is identical to architecture aesthetic mentioned above.
The certain demanded quality of materialization of Platonic geometry is, for instance, equivalent to that“1g”real gold in the pair of regular-tetrahedral earrings, the brand’s representative work. The essence of such “1g” is the pure geometry revealed. Meanwhile, the stretching “transparent tension” is also what is ought to be displayed here.
All we pushed in the design was just placing a “right angle”, the most fundamental element of Platonic geometry inside the rough-concrete volume where finishing was completely eliminated. This “right angel” consists of 100mm-thick showcase and full-length one-way mirror. The showcase seems to be doubled in length through the reflection of the mirror. Its back was a white surface coated with sheet of steel where extremely thin shelf board of 0.55-mm-thick tempered glass cantilevered and was fixed by magnetic force. The magnetic fixation method that utilizes lightness of jewelry is for the sake of free display layout. Besides, the frameless door appeared to be float in the mid-air without massiveness as the highly transparent tempered glass was held by stick hinge cantilevering from the floor.
The above design operation was exerted for minimization of mass and induction of an environment with pure geometry balance. Consequently, the space was fulfilled with “transparent tension” which had the same quality with jewelry of “1g”. We considered whether Shihara’s shop environment realized the overlap of metaphysical and physical world.

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『Shoten Kenchiku』2015.8/Shoten Kenchiku-sha publishing Co,Ltd

Hill House

The site is located halfway up a hill that gently rises from the seaside.
On the south a horizon extends beyond the Pacific, on the west a range of peninsulas can be viewed, on the north foliage of countryside forest surrounds the plot, and on the east about two hundred years old broadleaf trees spread their canopies as if covering the half of the site.
Since four sides respectively have its distinctive scenery, it is not suitable to set "front/back" to architecture as typically done.
Instead, a form that enables "all four side front" was to be sought.
Two large laminated lumber of a large section with 2,200 millimeters high beam, assembled in complete point symmetrical four square frames, were made. Middle points of each side of the beam are sandwiched with combined columns made of natural woods.
Then, they are raised up in the air at 2,200 millimeters gap, which is same as the beam height, so as to create a watchtower-like structure that its spatial corners are fully open to the outer environment.
In addition, the frame body of 2,200 millimeters high beams, which should be named walls rather than beam members, includes space by becoming a kind of space frame.
Whether to add it to the upper layer or the lower layer is arbitrary. That is, a minimum three-dimensional matrix, whose all sides respectively have two digits, is composed. Making the most of it, slabs of each square were placed either at the upper or the lower edge of beams, and so the height of ceiling and the eye level or a way to enclose the space and shading were manipulated. Thus, we intended to transform the existing abundant natural environment to a cozy living milieu.
Nonetheless, my interest resides in the fact that architecture as a structural being is composed of a complete symmetrical order, setting aside the freeness of response to the surrounding environment of this spatial composition.
An order independently stands in the flux of nature that variously alters. Completed and became a part of the world's existence, I feel that to-be-generated wave or whirl of the surrounding of the setting is the subject of design.

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「GA houses 141」 2015.3/A.D.A.EDITA Tokyo

Mount Fuji World Heritage Center

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Log H

A log house of steel
My interest lies in the 'shinkabe' (plastered wall with exposed timber pillars) rather than the 'ookabe' (wall where pillars are plastered over), and in what follows beyond.
Whereas 'ookabe', a plain surface that hides its framework inside, accentuates 'spatiality' by reducing itself as a presence that only shows the 'side' of a space, 'shinkabe' not only points to the space as a 'side' but also adds to the living environment the 'locality' that well-constructed material things radiate around by exposing architectural framework on its surface.
Another type of wall that goes beyond 'shinkabe' is the 'log house/azekura'，generating an even stronger locality. As the name suggests, the log house's wall surface is made up exclusively of 'round timber (=Log)', the structure material, whose strong physicality generates an intense locality. The log wall, devoid of plain surface as a 'side', places it self at the exact opposite of 'ookabe' which expresses nothing but a pure 'space', and maybe is a presence expressing a pure 'location' - with 'shinkabe' placed somewhere in between.
We chose this 'log house' style when it came for us to design a house for a couple on a site in a corner of very commonplace newly-developed housing lots in Metropolitan Tokyo. But here the log house is made of H-steel with a large section 700 x 350 x 16 x 25(mm) mostly used in construction of large scale buildings, in stead of round timber. H-steel's 'material properties' such as enormous weight and strength, mathematical regularity distinctive of roll-milled H-steel, and gentleness expressed in rounded corners, were assembled into a log house shape and intensified/amplified in an attempt to furnish a desirable 'locality' to a featureless，newly-developed residential area.
We expect that this intellectual yet gentle and strong locality will be one (or a 'seed' of locality) worthy of the new urban area that is different from the rugged, rustic locality of a regular log house that is an accumulation of round timbers.

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『JT』2014.9/Shinkenchiku-sha

Salon in Kazo

Two constructs, two compositions
The site locates in the suburb of Kita-Kanto with population around 100,000. It is 5 minutes’ walk away from the station and surrounded by low-rise shops, parking, and dispersed commercial buildings of 4 or 5 floors. An indeterminate scene of so-called suburban city spread under the clear blue sky which is unique to Kita-Kanto. The client who was born in this region was also a local beautician with the best reputation. He used to work in a tenant building, therefore we were asked to design an independent beauty salon which would house a better future and become a perpetual culture base within the region as well.

The requirements were explained in seemingly contradictory terms: “to be new yet keep perpetuation”, “to be closed to daily life scenes while open to the upper-level nature”.

The resolution we applied here is to conduct overlap between “two constructions” and “two compositions”. Usually one construction is used to realize a space. But this answer is not good enough for two paradox questions. Instead, as a response to that complexity, we doubled the construction and composition in the design and therefore raise up the number of relationships among them.

In concrete, we achieved new yet perpetual construction means by valuing the large-sectional laminated timber board whose size has been growing at an unprecedented pace these years following the trend of city’s increasing appetite for wood. As we have easy access to material longer than 2m and thicker than 200 mm for now, timber has been already beyond “linear material”. Considering the fact that ceiling height can be ensured by one single board, it may be the appropriate time for us to consider timber as a “planar material”, or “solid mass” like reinforced concrete wall. Accordingly, the timber walls we prepared were almost as thick as concrete ones and we equally treated both of them in the tectonic sense.
Firstly, two RC walls are placed around the site as the boundary to enclose an “Oku” (deep and far) space and keeps a decent distance from the extremely common scenery nearby. Then, several straight timber walls span 13m are casually laid upon the RC walls, by which the interior is overlapped by a bright and clear space open to the transparent light and air of Kita-Kanto area.
This is how a bright and self-controlled beauty salon environment would be “closed yet open”. Operations of both “construction” and “composition” are quite simple in fact. What grant the design some unique quality are the idea of “less intentions”, “diverse consequences” of overlap between 2 constructions and 2 compositions, and their ratio and assortment.
Neither am I interested in “composition” alone nor “construction” alone. It is “something” concluded by their overlap.

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『SHINKENCHIKU』2014.3/Shinkenchiku-sha

THREE AOYAMA

The neutrality in the centre of Tokyo
Usually, commercial buildings are expressed in a way that is far from neutral. Because they are appointed as the spokesmen for the company’s products, therefore the design supposed to be hyperactive in order to stand out from competitors. Due to the mutual competition among neighbors, especially in the heart of dense commercial area, this “pressure” of design becomes so obvious that we nearly have to cover our ears to get rid of it. The residents of the city would probably like to protect themselves from such pressure they live with by squeezing or shutting down their senses unconsciously.

On the other hand, the client is a natural cosmetic brand who aims for non-artificial beauty achieved by the restoration of people’s vigor through physical and mental relaxation from various stress. The concept, which the client pursues, is “neutral”.

Accordingly, the motif of the project became the substantiation of a “neutral space” that was capable of leading its users to open their minds and hug the world.

First of all, we decided to use almost 30% area as a blank pocket park, or “unbuilt area”, which located in the corner of the site on the street in order to decrease the urban pressure. Then we oriented each shop facing that “urban blank” to acquire an environment which further stands back from the stress. The design, consisted of three floating L-shaped cement slabs, was extremely concise as well on the ground of our concerns to suppress the unnecessary “voice” of design.

In addition to the building, we also designed the internal spaces of three shops for the sake of their alignment with the concept. As an opposition to the superficial “loud” design, the full employment of “pure material” whose skin remains the same as its core was the way how we dealt with the interior. In concrete, what we used were “coral travertine” which also served as the ingredients for the brand’s products, “Hanchiku” made up of soil used to parent all the lives, and raw hunks of “Japanese Buna (Beech)” picturing an ever green forest. Besides, instead of ornamental finishing, it is large masses of these three materials that we used here as we attempted to reveal an abstruse and high-resolution world of nature rather than one full of superficial icons.

By reducing pressure of our design almost to zero, it became possible for us to feel this micro yet abundant world. And when we reviewed it at urban scale, we found that the neutral world functions much more effectively than any other loud designs within the overexcited surrounding context. We conceive that such “inversion” in commerce indicates the potential that city will develop in a promising direction from now on.

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『Shoten Kenchiku』2013.12/Shoten Kenchiku-sha publishing Co,Ltd

Harmonica Yokocho Mitaka

In and Out of Intention
Frankly speaking, the very essence of architectural design is to put the world in order by “intention”.
It has nearly approached critical state to get rid of the chaos, illuminate the gloom, and bring out “the Radiant City” proposed by le Corbusier. This time, on the contrary, we look for something out of intention.
In this context, many university laboratories are studying “Black market”, the remained example of the unintended that developed naturally during post-war period. And now its value has been re-evaluated. However, Shimokitazawa’s black market was withdrawn recently. It is definitely not a secured prospect.
Instead of being retrospectively sentimental, the project this time aimed at connecting significance of Harmonica Yokocho in Kichijoji, the representative of black market, with the future.
What was requested here is “design without intention”, or saying an in-between state “ being designed as well as not designed” which seemed to be self-contradictory in terms of semantics.
To be specific, the attempt was to transform the previous Pachinko shop on the first floor of an office building into a “new black market” consisting of 7 restaurants.
What we applied here was the development of the technique “Tom and Jerry” tested in the project “Sagacho Archives” before.
Each tenant shop was the “Tom‘s space” finished with clear intention of design. They are organized by the unconscious “Jerry’s living place” fluid among where foundation was exposed.
Different from Sagacho Archive, the single Tom-Jerry relationship was pluralized and therefore probably diversified. By complicating it, living place of Jerry was more freed from restrains of intention as uniqueness of design was more weakened.
People live somewhere that is neither a pure radiant city nor a complete “Black market”. Perhaps the distribution of both brightness and gloom is important to a good living.
We believe occurrence out of intention that contrasts with world of intention will be sort of model for urban planning from now on.

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『SHINKENCHIKU』2013.12/Shinkenchiku-sha

SHIFT

A Set up for Future
There the site is, in the utmost periphery of suburban development area around Tokyo, which requires you almost 40 minutes’ trip on conventional rail line from city center to reach. The landscape never stops changing in its transition from urbanization control area consisted of green land and farmland to urbanization promotion area dominated by residential area. It should take another 10 (or more) years until the area stabilizes as a calm city.

Disharmony and confusion are inevitable element of transition. However, it doesn’t feel right to force the residents to live in tolerance before the transition ends, which would take a considerable amount of time. As a people living in a country where transition makes usual state, we opted to seek for an architectural method which would go face to face with the shift from present to the future, not a short-time solution.

Adopted was single architectural operation. That is, to shift the upper and the lower parts of a three-layered rectangle volume, half buried in slope topography with almost three meters of vertical gap, by its short side. It would form italic “N” shape which provides unchanging woodland scenery in the south and creates a large terrace, while securing privacy and natural light by creating three-dimensional offset against the adjacent land which is currently vacant and used as parking lot or farmland but would be packed with houses in the near future.

The form selected as a “set up” for future urban environment is more than a passive response to the external factor. It autonomously creates space variation. Natural light through the volume holding southern rooms bounces in between the floor of the second floor and the ceiling to reach the double-height space resulted from the shifting composition. Along with the distance owing to the depth of the volume, the light creates “inner feeling” relative to the disorderly growing outside world and gives the living environment a sense of calmness like a cave. Allocation of spaces for “move/stay” is also defined by the axis going across the structure diagonally. Geometrically narrower part serves as a place to move and wider part as a place to stay. The flow lines which never cross at a right angle smoothly connect both spaces to blow organic and changeable sequence into living experience.

What I saw in the new light is a plain simple fact that there is no “completion” to the world. Everything keeps on shifting, leaving distortions and friction as they are. This fact, however, never rules out the existence of “universality”. Sandbanks in the streams somehow keep their shapes. Then why not architecture stays in the stream of time. I sense that “universality of the next level” which can be reached by positively accepting chronal “shift”, not by the traditional attitude to ignore time course, would be the essence of such architecture.

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『JT』2014.2/Shinkenchiku-sha

Seto

Public spaces of coastal city
This area faces the Seto Inland Sea and has a configuration of vicinal hills plunging directly into the sea, on the slope of a village which clings to it. The flat lands are naturally limited and a public space for parties and gatherings of people was lacking. So, in addition to seeking for corporate housing for shipyard workers, we tried to create a public space with construction that would take advantage of site conditions on the sloping top of the cliff and be open to the community.
Specifically, we prepared a cantilever escarpment, a volume of accommodation in 3 levels and opened to the local community its rooftop. This opened onto the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea, which served as a public place with a sufficient space to allow a direct approach through a large staircase from the road on the backside to the north that had a higher situation.

Structural ship hull form
The overhang which has a widely slender top of this particular scarp formed by a guide is intended to create a public space on the terrace and the widest possible area by setting a jump as necessary piles at the end of the escarpment so that no constraints is transmitted to the weakened ground . Nevertheless, what has made this possible is the presence of a continuous wall surface structure extending on three levels and a tower block whose counterweight acts around the opposite side. 3 main structural walls can be considered as beams height of 3 floors (about 10m), and in the short direction taken every 6000 mm at a right angle, they are combined with 4 slabs into a forms of tiles.
Thanks to these, the building in its entirety consists of a rational structure of ship hull with the constituent assembly appearance of a huge ship and constituting an embodiment of a reasonable financial cost.

Link area
The two light courts drilled in the rooftop plaza are transitions to descend to all apartments. Despite the form very efficiently exploiting the area, the interior corridors could be damp and dark without these two courts which also improve the light and ventilation environment in apartments.
The large stair, slope, cor-ten stairs in two light courts, grow sequentially while wrapping this concrete block construction in different ways. The fittings are steel treated with nickel to avoid salt damage.
The circulation of the apartments manages to fit perfectly into the continuity of the neighborhood. The project became a part of the city itself.

A landscape of the future
While satisfying the various demands of nature and society, this building has been defined as a "harmonious form" and its realization did arise as an "autonomous figure” extremely clear and simple, that does not feel like the complex conditions in the background of its construction.
The L-shaped volume of concrete is like a huge ship awaiting the baptism of the sea, and defines the contours of the "vast space that is the Seto Inland Sea." The intention of the architect is going to disappear one day and the building will be taken over by the district as a new sea landscape where Seto assimilated and told in different ways. This is our intention and desire.

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『SHINKENCHIKU』2013.8/Shinkenchiku-sha

mother's house

Architecture as a Verb
I often tend to regard “architecture” as a “verb”.
Speaking of “architecture”, it is, of course, usually used as a “noun” representing a general idea. But in Japanese, the word “architecture (建築)” consists of two Kanji characters which means “to build(建)” and “to construct (築)” respectively. Therefore I feel a little bit odd as it would take away the dynamic meaning of “behavior” which is a certain part of the word if refer it only as a noun. So is design process. I tried to keep the impression of “substance constructed” and initial emotions following behind. And in order to achieve that, I exposed the frame structure without “stud wall” concealing it, by which the verb nature of “architecture” would persist.

This “mother’s house” is such an “architecture of verb”. The 6mx6m plan without a single column was made possible by a “lamellar structure” of 4 laminated pine arches that could efficiently resist the out-of-plane forces. The exposure of this major structure system expressed the tectonic organization straightforward.
Like a pyramid hip roof distributing loads from the centre, the lamellar structure accommodated an oculus that allowed natural light and created a gentle internal light environment working with the shape of roof and frame. It also provided the chimney effect ensuring fairly sufficient ventilation in the house which located in a dense residential area. On the other hand, the “solidity and fluidity” of the space was just right balanced through the unclosed diagonal structure, by which a small yet sequential and calm living environment was able to be realized.

For the first time, instead of a construction firm, we signed a contract straight with a master carpenter, by which we were able to get deep involved with craftsmen like a construction supervisor. It also seemed to provide a good opportunity to reflect the architecture of verb as a result of architecture that was “to build” “to construct”. Or, there might be no result in “architecture” since exposure of dynamism in “constructing architecture” naturally brought dynamism of “living a life” into architecture. And these “behaviors” would fuse together and last forever. In that sense, it is that unlikely “architecture of verb”, an uninterrupted continuum of behavior and simultaneously an “endless architecture”, will be “completed”.

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『JT』2013.9/Shinkenchiku-sha

Shore house

Near the base of the Manazuru Peninsula, on a hilly topography that slopes toward the south, the site is located where the hill's inclination eases to form a shoulder. Beyond the enclosing greenery composed mainly of broadleaf trees, the expanse of the Pacific Ocean quietly extends to the horizon. The client’s request was for a guesthouse for the family and friends to spend their weekends together.
To construct something in such a rich natural setting, it seemed inappropriate to utilize an urban-style, strictly self-contained order. What became a useful reference was to think of the family's enthusiasm for beachcombing. By taking a variety of materials washed upon the shore and heeding their individual voices and characteristics, the materials come together logically into a form expressing how they hope to be. In this instance, an order is not an absolute dictate but rather a dynamic and supple state that that continuously adjusts through considering the relationship between materials and environment. The goal was such a type of ‘open order’.
Specifically, a column and beam structure made of 38 mm-thick LVL aligned in 830 mm span is made into ‘L-shaped wall and roof’ units that are formed by supporting them with natural wooden beams and columns trimmed on both sides. These units were prepared in three different scales: large, middle and small. By positioning them so that each partially overlaps with the others, the varying internal and external heights give birth to terraces and irregular corners in different locations. The positions and angles were not determined conceptually by a strict geometry, but rather scaled in reference to a variety of specific influences, such as the landscape’s natural contour lines and sightlines to the sea, the location and canopy of existing trees, the voices of the materials expressed through their volume, texture and density, and consideration of the balance between fluidity and solidity of space. Thus the form was determined through a process of adjusting these factors in order to bring them into mutual harmony.
In the completed living space, there is no stiffness resulting from the imposition of a strict order, but there is a close ‘harmony’ arising from all the various elements coming together as if engaged in a mutual dialogue. Because the order adopted in the structure itself is taken from the open personality of the surrounding environment, this dialogue extends to the surrounding natural environment of sea, forest and contour and extends without border. To experience a connection to the world with this type of ‘serene harmony’ seems to be our design purpose.

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『JT』2009.12/Shinkenchiku-sha

Stand up, Pen!

This is a pen. “Okiagari koboshi” (tumbling bonze boy) and “Akabeko” (red cow) is a traditional lucky charm common in Aizu region of Fukushima prefecture. They are made of Hariko or papier mache, by pasting paper on top of mold made of wood or clay. Made out of paper, they are very light and by tucking weight inside, Okiagari koboshi would get up every time it is tipped, and Akabeko would lambently move its head left and right.
Being inspired by these two good luck charms, we have designed a pen that roots for the future of Tohoku.
Since it stands upright on its own, it takes up less space and its back and forth movement renders enjoyable desktop scenery. It would even work as a personal seismograph!

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Geo Metria

Structure of the land
On a brow of mountain range of Hakone, along the Odawara plain is a site.
It’s sunny rolling hillside where once were fruit trees. On the south you can have clear view of distant Sagami Bay. On the north is a mountain that gives shelter from north wind. Deciduous broad-leaved trees cast soothing shadows in summer, and in winter, they shed their leaves and allow weak sunlight to penetrate and to warm the moist mountain soil. And the perfect environment for living was there, waiting quietly to be found.
It didn’t seem right to bring some irrelevant element to “the land” and complete “a house”. My mission as an architect is to draw out the latent “habitability” of “the land”, adjust and amplify it just enough for a man to “live in”. In short, we aimed to construct an architecture totally ordered by “the land”.

The resolution is to reduce the designing step and leave only fundamental constructive factors, setting frames and building a roof. Then we “listen to the land” in making all the decision.
Two set of portal frames (about 12m in length) are combined with delicate angle to fit gentle curve of the place to form a rack assembly with truss structure at midspan. The material used as frame is thin laminated veneer lumber (38 x 287mm). Such choice in material is achieved by efficiently distributing horizontal force on weak axes to back core through ridged-jointed truss on the ceiling. (The cross points in the middle part prevent 6-meter-long beams’ deflection.) These fin-like columns with shelf plates also play a role of semi-transmissive partition that separates the space loosely.
Each beams slant northward to support the roof that has enough pitch to cope with the rainy weather, and differentiate the ceiling height. Together with the ground tilt, this gives the spatial “variation” that complex life requires.

As you see, the features of this site (geomorphic characteristics, amount of rain) bring about special “geometry” to this architecture. It determines the structure and resulting dwelling space and brings harmony among them.
If you, as the origin of the word indicates, decide the order of an architecture (=geometry) by taking a close survey (=metria) of the land (=geo), the consequent architecture will have clear order while keeping continuity to the land.
“Observe the site well and find out hidden geometry.”
That accounts for almost all of our design work and, is essence of it.

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『JT』2012.4/Shinkenchiku-sha

YOTSUBAKO

Turn the steering "commerce" to "urban space"　
The site is near Centre-Kita station, in the centre of the emerging suburban district where the number of young families keeps growing.
Here several large commercial facilities scatter forming a unique suburban cityscape. There is also positive urban planning and many energetic young people. However it is still hard to argue that it is being attractive enough as a town or urban space.
Because the commercial facilities are too self-contained to communicate with other plazas and pedestrian spaces offered by the city plan. It seems to become a conventional routine for the commercial designs to enclose their customers and shopping activities, by which surrounding urban environment loses the vigor it deserves.
On the contrary, many other commercial areas of domestic or foreign historic cities are not only open but also strongly related to the urban space in order to promote the business. A positive “circulation” takes shape here as they share a mutually beneficial relation that commerce becomes one of the charms of an urban space while it is booming because of the urban space.

As design intentions, we focused on this “circulation” and “urban space” itself.

The resolution is the simple composition of four boxes alternatively stacked, which are roughly wrapped by transparent glass skin. The composition further subdivides the contrary relationship between “exterior/interior” into “outside hako · exterior”, “outside hako · interior”, “inside hako · exterior”, “inside hako · interior” and therefore creates a smooth connection between city and architecture.

For instance, two existing public spaces on the different levels, saying “symbol plaza” and “fountain plaza”, are closely connected with commercial spaces by the intermediate territory under the box resembling eaves. A couple sits down on the step of the plaza eating pies they bought at the tenant; at the same time some people relaxing in the café have a look at them. A great number of such interrelationships happen and each space is synergistically activated and utilized.

The two ground levels ascend through the full height atrium to the upper floor where urban and commercial spaces are strongly connected, thanks to the panoramic scenery enabled by the glass skin and terraces on the box.
Moreover, a “public pedestrian corridor” that joins the station nearby and large commercial facilities behind it is taken into the design on the 3rd floor, by which its unity with the city is further enhanced.

In addition to self enrichment inside, the success of commercial facilities in the future largely depends on sustainable, attractive planning of urban space as well. It may be necessary to consider architecture as a part of the “urban space” and “continuity of time”. To achieve that, just conventionally dealing with “surface” is not sufficient. For this time, we were able to go beyond that and get further into the composition including the urban space. But it would be closer to persistent value of city if appropriate construction was applied.
We believe this is the first step of journey towards there.

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『SHINKENCHIKU』2012.6/Shinkenchiku-sha

VALLEY

A New Topology
The site is long and narrow, running fifty meters north and south at four to five meters in width, switching back twice. Located in the center of a prominent city that serves as its prefectural capital, it is densely surrounded by mid- to high-rise reinforced concrete buildings as part of a fire prevention zone. The site presented itself as a valley amidst the mountainous residential structures surrounding it. What we were attempting was to regard the existing urban features as a landscape in which, by way of architecture that enhances the topological characteristics of the area, a qualitatively more optimal environment could be realized.
Our design approach was simple. Three stretches of rugged reinforced concrete walls of differing heights, low, medium, and tall, were juxtaposed within one another, conforming to the unusual outline of the site, substantiating its valley-like attributes, and creating a terrain suited to a permanent residence; a transitory structure that enforces a new topology on the permanent environment, protecting the living domain from external noise and gaze, while maximizing the limited sunlight available from above. The north-south expanses give rise to three elongated apertures that establish open areas. The white-plastered interior is segmented, the midsection functioning as a light court containing a shallow pool, with adjacent dwelling rooms on either side. The spaces remain purposely open-ended. These “frayed ends” produce two areas of emptiness that infiltrate the three functional regions of the house. The perceived effect is one of expansion, counteracting the narrowness of the building imposed by the constraints of the site. The overlapping of discrete areas via these voids creates a mixture of spatial sequences, furthering the impression of passage through a valley.
In addition, the “frays” that constitute the endpoints of these spaces counterbalance the physicality of the mass of concrete that faces them, facilitating its intervention in the space. With this physicality at its core, a sense of “place” suffuses the contours of the interior, overlaying the void spaces, completing them, and establishing an environmental “unevenness” that introduces functions that can’t be solely born out of neutral space, perhaps offering residents a feeling of ease and attachment to the dwelling that nourishes their psychological orientation within it. The frays slightly disrupt the borders of the site, as well as the distinctions between inside and out, and they promote an atmosphere of shared presence amongst the residents. This architecture, which doesn’t seek to draw itself apart from the surrounding city, possesses an open-heartedness that is also imparted by these “frayed ends”.
When I returned to the residence one morning a month after completion for a photo shoot, I spotted a wild bird bathing in the courtyard pool. It would seem that to a bird, human architecture is no different from a rocky mountain perch or a stream in the valley. The principle issue is whether it is a good place or not. It is similarly and fundamentally true of humans and all living things. The significance to us of any given open space, as based on social acknowledgment, may change in meaning as culture changes. But the innate recognition of a “good place” will maintain its universality over time, unless there is a change in our physical bodies. It was at that moment that I grasped that what we had been striving for was a “new urban topology” that would exist not merely as the containment of open “space”, but as a life-generating “place”.

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『JT』2011.9/Shinkenchiku-sha

Sagacho Archives

"Tom's space/ Jerry's place"
The plan was to create a space to store and exhibit the artworks that our client, Ms. Kazuko Koike had made through the activities at "Sagacho Exhibit Space" (already closed in 2002).
Harada laboratory did the planning and construction, supervised by MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO.

As we check and remove the walls and ceilings for renovation, we noticed the fact that our daily life is surrounded so much by "finishing".

"Finishing" transforms "a void" into "a space" with certain purpose by labeling it and forming it to have adequate, traditional look. You can deem "finishing" as "a sign" that directs and guarantees us a traditional life. In contrast, behind the finishing, there exists a hidden world without signs, consisted of structure and non-coated materials. The scenery is rough. However, the atmosphere there is honest and transparent. Jerry mouse in the famous old animation, "Tom and Jerry" lives in such behind-the-finishing space. He is a lot more alive and ingenious than a pet cat, Tom, who leads the life surrounded by finishing. It would be safe to say that Tom's secret jealousy against Jerry well represents the society's need for art.

Art lets in vitality of the world beyond the realm of semiotics to the semiotic-oriented society of human beings, and gives it a driving force. Our goal was to create an environment that supports such role of art. And achieving coexistence of Tom's room and Jerry's place seemed to be the best way. Practical procedure was really simple. By widening the void between structure and finishing from usual width (a few centimeter) to a few meter, Jerry's exhibiting room (Room A) was created. For itﾕs the world behind finishing, every single finishing existed was eliminated. Then we created Room B by making large dent on a corridor wall. This room for storage can also be used as white cube for exhibition. If you see the room from corridor, it would look like neatly finished "dent on corridor" cut off by glass wall.

"Tom's space" and "Jerry's place". Two rooms with respective attributes are separated by / connected with "a big door". The door just represents art that freely traverse the border between the world beyond the realm of semiotics and human society ruled by signs and connects them.

I believe this place deserve the name of "Sagacho", where new artworks had been created perpetually.

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『JT』2011.2/Shinkenchiku-sha

near house

Nearness -the other side of smallness-
The site is located in a dense residential area in Tokyo where inhabitants are allotted only limited lands. A landowner sold the already limited land to two owners by dividing it. Quite small. Also, irregular in shape. Viewed from above, it looks just like vertically-long flag and pole. Perimeter is long for its size, and the walls and the trees of the houses next-door stands very near. But they don't give oppressive feeling. Rather, the closeness -the houses look just like they're cuddling each other- creates some intimacy.

The site is small, all right. But when you change your point of view, its "nearness" can be constructive advantages. We wanted to bring the best out of it.

The professions of the owner couple and issue of building coverage divided the architecture into two small buildings and a court (*1). The buildings sit near each other. So the court seems more like a part of building that connects two room spaces.

Each building has bonded wood (larch) post-and-beam placed at 450mm intervals. The narrowness of the interval defines whole scale of architecture. Near House is more a furniture or a product than architecture (*2). It interacts with people so closely. And that's why we have the surfaces of bonded wood, softwood MDF and mortar finely textured like that of peach. Such delicate finish can only be possible thanks to the size, which would normally be considered as disadvantage. The house doesn't have so much space. But the high-resolution world beyond the compass of architecture creates a sense of depth in different spheres.

By finding "nearness" in "smallness" and making the most of it, the house transcends the realm of architecture, and takes a step into the world of product. In that sense, Near House can be considered as "Something near to be a house".

(Masahiro Harada) (*1: The areas that allow construction are the "flag" part, and the "grip" part of the "pole" that is originally designed as parking and has some more width than the "pole" itself.)

(*2: Typical Japanese mini storage shelf is 450mm in width and 15mm in board thickness. Near House is almost like consisted of so many of this.)

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『JT』2010.7/Shinkenchiku-sha

in flakes

Snowflakes in frosty winter, petals of cherry blossoms in beautiful spring, flickering sunlight through foliage in hot summer, golden leaves in chilly autumn. Something is always fluttering down the clear atmosphere of Towada. And now, stainless bent plates/benches scattered down flutteringly, and yet, as if keeping the moment forever.
The surfaces of the plates that are well polished to have mirror gloss would cut out various sceneries wafting around. In springtime, theyﾕd let you have special experience just like hovering up and down in pale rose colored world. in flakes: benches that cherish the world that never stays the same.”

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PLUS

The mass of white
The site locates on mountainside of Izu-san, where Pacific Ocean can be looked down on the south.
The untouched wilderness, covered with deciduous broad-leaved trees such as cherry trees and Japanese oaks, gives little level ground.
But we saw faint glimmer of architectural possibility along the ridge.
The architecture would be used as villa for weekends.
I didn't want to just form the undulating landscape dotted with great trees as normal, nor design an elaborate architecture bowing down to the complex topography.
What sprang to my mind is a blueprint for an architecture which is perfectly autonomous itself, at the same time seems to emerge as an underlying shape that the natural environment has been hiding. It's abstraction of nature, to say.
The architecture was realized by crossing two rectangular parallelepipeds at very right angles.
The lower one contains private rooms and bathroom, and sticks half of the body out to existing narrow level ground.
The upper one incorporates salon and kitchen, and lies astride the lower one and the mountain ridge.
It almost seems like an off-centered cross pinned carefully on natural terrain.
One axis of the cross stretches toward the Pacific Ocean on south, and the other, the forest of Japanese oak and some white birch on west.
The rooms in the lower structure and terrace on it enjoy broad vista of the sea and blue sky.
And gentle shade of natural forest embraces the space in the upper one.
Water-polished white marble (cami #120) was chosen as interior finishing material.
It glows softly like Greece sculptures to blend blue light from the south and green light from the west gradationally, thus creates delicate continuous landscape of light, which suggests the character and usage of the space.
Exterior is also finished with white marble.
The surface get smoother as it approaches to the southern/western end till it takes mirror gloss (cami #1000) at the ends.
The southern end of white cross melts into the blue of sky and sea, and the eastern end to the green of forest.
Abstraction is nothing to conflict with nature here.
Carved out of nature, it never stops being a part of nature itself, however highly abstracted.
Never relativizes the nature with its foreignness, nor generate contradiction to settle for being "artificial nature" by giving up being abstract and mimicking the nature.The abstraction inspired by Mother Nature defines the nature itself, and still, stays natural.
That's what I wanted from this abstraction and architecture.

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『JT』2009.12/Shinkenchiku-sha

Tree House

This house for a couple is built in a residential area on a gentle hill in the northern Tokyo.
The site is located at the top of a hill connected with a narrow path leading to the actual building lot.
The ground level is gradually climbing higher from edge of the site.
Although the site has particular sense of oppression and dusky feel, and the actual building lot is completely enclosed by the adjacent houses, we realized with the characteristic of the place as the depths of the urban condition without exposing to the outside, and secluded from the town.
In this case, it is more suitable to extend the volume vertically rather than horizontally.
Similar reason can be found in the nature that a tree enclosed by other tall trees in a deep forest tends to have vertical directivity for its growth.
The geometry achieved through “Cartesian coordinates system” is typically applied in architecture since it has advantage in terms of the repetitive expansion in a fixed orientation.
However, this system is not suitable here as previously described. Rather, it is desirable to apply a geometric rule, which can pick up the subtle, close relationship and the balance between the site and its edge conditions.
Thus, we decided to utilize the “polar coordinates system” as the geometry defining this architecture, which describes the location of an element by the distance and the angle from the center of the site. (Please picture the 2-dimentional Voronoi diagram.)
In detail, the arch-shaped “column-beam” frame structure made by LVL/Laminated Veneer Lumber in 51 mm thickness is rotated in the regular angle of 11.25 degree (360 degree/32 frames) to form this architecture.
Each frame gets 55 mm higher than the previous one, therefore there is the height difference of 1.7 m in frame as they go around 360 degree.
This system forms the fluent Hyperbolic Paraboloidal curve surface providing the entrance to the roof terrace, while it also functions as the high side light that brings in the only open sky toward the east and the greenery of the neighboring house as a framed picture.
At the center of the polar coordinate is condensed with 32 pieces of the LVL columns, forming a large central pillar with the diameter of about 1.1 m.
The interior is divided into four territories by this central pillar, in the similar format found in the traditional Japanese houses in square shaped plan divided into four territories _ although the division does not occur in fixed 90 degree because the system is based on the polar coordinate.
In addition, the central point is defined at the eccentric point in the planar to differentiate the distance from the circumference, while the rotation angle of the column-beams is maintained in regular manner. With this system, the outer columns far away from the center have larger intervals, while the inner columns near to the center have denser intervals.
The frames rising up spirally make variations in the ceiling height, which define the characters of each four territories.
For instance, the intimate shadowy territory by the denser distance of the columns and lower ceiling is defined as the sleeping space, and the bright, high-ceiling territory applicable with large window opening by the larger distance of the columns can be suitable for dining space, The floor level is also shifted as skipped floors according to the division of the territory by the central pillar, although the height difference is based on the topographic condition of the existing site.
The completed house was formed by the strict rules of the geometry, but somehow it achieved the atmosphere unlike the artificial object.
When we sit down at the bottom of the central pillar and lean against to look up, those radially extending beams appear to be the branches of a large tree.
Surrounding of the central pillar stem provides the “place of inhabiting” for the life peacefully. Here, there is a different quality of the place, unlike the transparent “space” to be called as a “house”.
This make us realize that the center of a “space” may reflect on a social “meaning”, while the center of a “place” would consist of the sense of “existence”.

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『GA Houses 114』2010.1/A.D.A.EDITA Tokyo

Rainy/Sunny

Architecture in the Climate
The site is there in a residential area in Tokyo, dense with low-rise buildings, located a little bit west to the center of the Kanto plain.
The climate there is about to change from warm humid climate to rainforest climate in near future.
I'm not making a "house" this time. It should be a lasting "terrain" that induces "habitation".
My goal is to shape the terrain up to a freshly designed ﾒresidenceﾓ with no preestablished harmony sensed.
If I want a landscape with high habitability, the architecture should go beyond some abstract morphology.
After all, a terrain is created as a consequence of long time conversation held between physical substances such as rocks and soils and unique climate of the area.
Finding a best balance between materials and climate and incarnate that in the form of architecture...
This is a challenge to take elements that modern architecture has long been ignored - climate, materials and many problems posed by aging - into design factor once again and shift them to architectural blessings.
The project started with questing the best structure and materials to realize "a terrain that lasts forever".
One existing way to match the structure and finished shape is to use bare reinforced concrete as walls.
But it's of questionable value when it comes to durability.
Rain washes alkali away from wall surface and makes it extremely short-lived.
Shuttering of coated plywood board makes a smooth surface that looks great on the day of completion, however, weather-beaten, it will look sad and old within a few years.
So I invented new construction system.
Bare reinforced concrete wall with creasing (h=18mm) every 500 mm apart would keep alkali in and stain off.
Larch plywood is used as mold instead of coated plywood in order to transfer wood grain to the surface of the wall to make it textured.
That way, aged deterioration turns into something of aesthetic value, just like wrinkles of well- used jeans.
The block of reinforced concrete thus made is placed on the site at an angle to separate exterior into two spaces: to the north, the "front garden" on the road, used as parking.
To the south, the "private garden" surrounded by main building and neighboring houses where wind is gentle and sun shines warmly.
The private garden offers privacy and security and makes it possible for the architecture to have large window that views sunny garden and "vault of heaven".
The architecture geometry is not conventional rectangular.
Its unique shape brings about "darkness" to the corners everywhere, provides it with appearance of depth and liberates the air of the rooms.
Residents enjoy a life under boundless sky indoors.
On sunny days, unevenness of the exterior walls cast strong shadows.
On cloudy days, the architecture sucks in humidity and turns into a dark crag.
And on rainy days, it wears lace of raindrop.
It transforms itself according to the weather.
Here, a modern architecture that lives in harmony with climate is born.

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『JT』2008.11/Shinkenchiku-sha

ART SITE

Earth Mold Architecture: building up architecture based on mold on the earth.
Plainly speaking, operation of our design proposal means this.
Concrete speaking, we propose the process explained below:
We dig a hole on the surface of the mexico site.
Arrange reinforcements in the whole and pour concrete.
After solidified, use crane to lift up concrete piece, and make structure of the museum combining with other pieces.
The digged holes are kept as they are to be used as quasi-independent spaces.
This construction process what we should call it as “earth mold concrete” is an environmentally friendly construction method conserving forest resources by not producing enormous amount of waste frame materials which normally are wasted.
“Soil” of the site which are attached on one side of the structure is its evidence, and provide museum feeling of site specific space.
Also, concrete forms and exhibition space forms exactly correspond to each other.
In another word, the process which made the architecture also decides the composition of the museum.
If we say that essence of contemporary art is the process of endless present productions, there will be some kind of sympathy between the museum which production process being the architecture itself and exhibited art.
This quality of sympathy is our design intention and is our prime concern.

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『design miami/base, Switzerland』2008

SAKURA

A home office for a couple planned in a residential neighborhood in Tokyo.
The site is situated in an area where land costs are among the highest in Tokyo.
The area is typically cluttered, like most residential areas in downtown Tokyo.
It is hard to say that quality of living environment deserves the price of land.
I felt that creating a better living environment was a top priority upon squeezing in yet another house into this neighborhood.
What came to my mind were the two classic 'Glass Houses'※ by Mies and Philip Johnson.
The sense of freedom and openness that makes us want to walk naked inside these houses surely owes to the transparency of the glass itself, but it is the fact that the buildings are surrounded by a pleasant environment 'the forest' that counts the most.
Since 'the forest' itself already provides a comfortable living environment, it is left for the architecture to separate internal to external atmospheres with thin, transparent membranes.
They clearly demonstrate that as long as there is an environment suitable for living, a 'house' is no more necessary.
What I looked to create here was a presence that would replace this 'forest'.
More precisely, I attempted to generate a quality living environment by placing two large, swirled belt-shaped surfaces on the premises.
The pair consists of self-standing walls measuring 7.5 m and 5 m high respectively, made of lace-like steel 3 mm thick that filters light like sunshine through foliage, with holes punched out in a floral pattern depicting cherry blossoms, a traditional Ise paper stencil pattern.
As we make our way into the abstracted forest of cherry blossoms, we are greeted by an 'environment filled with 'anticipation' for a living comfort.
ﾕ There, nothing can be found that suggests a 'setup' of a 'house'.
The place is a pure 'living environment' and is neither a symbol called 'house' nor a 'residential area.'
A bright depth, beyond the reach of urbanism, is born in Tokyo.

※ Mies van der Rohe : Farnsworth House
Philip Johnson : Johnson House

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『GA Houses 99』2007.5/A.D.A.EDITA Tokyo

M3・KG

"dialogue" between the old and the new "substance"
This is a house to be built in Tokyo, for a movie producer couple.
This architecture is consisted by combining L-shaped blocks of reinforced concrete and sequential frames of box-shaped engineer-wood. We put bedrooms, film archive and galley in solid concrete part for security, and living room in engineer-wood part for openness.
As material that consist an open space that is 6m in height, 5.5m in width, 14m in depth, we choose thin engineer-wood (38mmx287mm).
Main theme for this architecture is to bring out a sense of mass and material, which were denied by modern architecture which pursued "white, flat wall" as a style.
We intentionally left the wood grain of mold on the surface of concrete, and choose textured stones and irons.
It goes without saying that a house is a relaxing place. A house like a white-cube, surrounded by flat, white walls everywhere, gives a person very abstract image.
But that image could only be sensed when we use intellective part of our brain.
The problem is that we're not all-intellective-creature. For the people like this client, who do enough intellectual labor on a daily basis, white-cube would only bring sense of fatigue.
The role of architecture, especially the ones for living, is to soothe the sensory side of people, not to stimulate the intellectual side. That's my take.
Sure, intellectual living would have got some meaning as a fashion at the time when modern architecture was born.
However, now that it became a part of everyday life, its identity has been lost.
We have to examine whether our approach is rational or not every time we build architecture.

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『Words from Conference "Extreme East / CONTINUITY VS MUTATION" in Romania』2006

Gothic on the Shore

A projects for a rental villa in Hayama-cho along the Pacific coast.In front of the villa is the immense ocean, with a distant view of Mount Fuji beyond the horizon seen on a clear day. In the back lie the mountains of Miura peninsula. The site is positioned right on the topographic border between the sea and mountains - a typical Hayama landscape. I felt an uneasiness about the universal/urban scent emitted by the geometry - Cartesian coordinate system - generally used in architectural design, inside such rich natural environment.
As an alternative geometry basis, I opted for a polar coordinate system, defining space in terms of distance and angle from a center . It seemed to me that the polar coordinate system, which gives description of position within a relationship between entities independently from panoramic viewpoints, would be 'better off' in an environment like this one.
A sequence of three circumscribing circles with different radius makes up a system of reference lines that is seemingly random in structure but rational in terms of structure/existence.
Boomerang-shaped 'column-beam' parts made of die-cut steel plate 6 mm thick are rotated and reproduced along the reference lines, forming a tree structure. They are interconnected to create a strong framework of successive arches. Finally to shape the architecture, three layers of such framework are then trimmed to the extent of ensuring necessary floor area.
the building has a face of a ultra-thin Gothic architecture, abstracted/simplified to 6 mm thick. It is also suggestive of a crystallized aggregation of a forest. Maybe a structurally/existentially rational building is infinitely close to nature.
'Blending of nature and architecture' - one of the ideas of Gothic, as I recall.

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『GA houses 86』2005.3/A.D.A.EDITA Tokyo -GA HOUSES PROJECT 2005

LIGHT-LIGHT SHELTER

thin-walled architecture by apposing 4 HP curve shell units
This is a delicatessen store built in poor ambient environment. Walls of neighboring house surround three side of it. And the only side free from the dominant wall is facing north. In order to place many kitchen instruments, we were obliged to create much floor space, making the most of the small budget and small plot of land.
My answer to this challenge was to create well-lighted, strong, thin-walled architecture by apposing 4 HP curve shell units. Each unit has crooked roof, just as you see right now in this picture.
We used the same technique as the one used for XXXX to strengthen the structure. What makes this work unique is its HP curve shell roof.
Sunlight is gathered with curved HP roof, comes in through the triangle-shaped slits, reflected by curved HP ceiling and throws a soft light all over the room. At night, the light thrown by lighting equipments without shades is reflected by the same curved HP ceiling and illuminates the room efficiently. In addition to its original role as a structure that creates interior space, this architecture serves as a huge lampshade itself.
There’s no boundary between architecture and lighting equipment here. Eliminating it was a mighty solvency that meets so many requirements.

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『SHINKENCHIKU』2004.11/Shinkenchiku-sha

Secondary Landscape

From a bird's eye view, the alignment of roofs in Tokyo forms a "second landscape," "another surface. "Tokyo seems to emerge from virgin terrain, still to be discovered.Students, creators in training, are constantly confronted with an urban milieu fragmented into multiple designs. This contract came from a student aesthetician who wished to set up a beauty salon on the roof of a building over forty years old in the Shibuya district.
Mount Fuji wished to make the frontier between these two "landscapes" perceptible to students, the one of the roofs and the one of the city beneath. So they sought to recreate the feeling of another land, to materialize this "second landscape," by covering the roof, cluttered with a mishmash of utilitarian objects, with a rough envelope in wood to give it a new unity and artificiality.
The project was all the more challenging because Tokyo is filled with irregular roofs, distorted by regulations restricting oblique lines. This has resulted in a "relief" of polygonal hills.Though the architect's job is usually to build on a given site, here, to the contrary, Mount Fuji has to create a site from existing heterogeneous architectural structures.

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『Archilab japon』2006.11

XXXX

Automobile is our rival to beat.
Came one day a client who offered us a business. He wished to have an atelier which can be used also as a gallery to present his work of ceramic art, which he made for pleasure.
With mere 1.5 million yen(=11,000 euro)which he saved to originally purchase a business-purpose Toyota Corolla sedan to spare as total budget, we started our project.
1.5 million yen. Ridiculously small sum of money for building any kind of architecture. Yet, it's good sum if you're going to pay away in everyday life. At least it affords you a "mobile room" with fancy air conditioner, car navigation system and power window. Question arisen. Are we sure we properly translate the money into the quality of architecture? Can ever be born objects that embody beauty and rationality in such architectural world, which is highly specialized and socially defined? These kinds of skepticism were something that bothered us over years. That's why we felt great appeal for the small budget he offered.
To beat an automobile in value by holding a thorough investigation into closed payment structure of architectural industry; to quest an object which is most rational and reasonable by treating an architectural structure as a plain object...
Motto of this project was like this: "Make great use of 1.5 million yen, and architecture get ahead of automobile".

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『SD-Review』2003.12/Kajima Institute Publishing Co,Ltd