Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Studio 80: Shigeru Uchida
27 May 2008
Since we are working on the house, we've got all of my architecture books packed away... I just stumbled across Studio 80's website, and I realized that I actually have one of Shigeru Uchida's books in my collection. All of his work is nice, but the tea houses and furniture are particularly spectacular..
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Nendo
24 April 2008
Seriously... there is not a single thing on Nendo's website that I don't absolutely love. The cabbage chair and the kisala restaurant shown above are two of my favorite projects... The cabbage chair is created by the unpeeling of the many layers of pleated resin impregnated paper. I really love the sophisticated form created by such a simple material... This subtle and intelligent attention to material is a constant theme in Nendo's products and projects. The Kisala restaurant is another example where the variated tones of the floorboards help delineate the separate spaces while still adding a cohesive element to the restaurant. The use of mirrored panels and lace curtains only add to the textural quality of the space..
If you don't know Nendo's work already... check out their website. Everything on it is working a look...
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Billowing in the Wind
04 April 2008
I've seen this project in print many times... but I just love this image of Shigeru Ban's Curtain Wall House. On a rainy day in Seattle, it sure makes me long for spring days!.
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A Diamond in the Rough
08 January 2008
The House kn by Kochi Architect's Studio manages to both isolate itself from and integrate itself into the surrounding neighborhood. The angled walls that at once create and expose the void enable the inhabitants to be protected from the neighbors when desired, and yet embraces the neighborhood (especially at night). The higher portions of the wall are adjacent to the deck, while the lower portions are adjacent to the lower level garden. This is quite a simple, yet elegant and successful solution for the dense areas of Japan. While we often see modern Japanese architects walling their projects off from the surrounding density, I like that this project engages the density, while still offering a modicum of protection..
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Handmade Umbrellas
27 December 2007
When C & I visited Tokyo a few years ago, we brought home two of those clear plastic umbrellas as souvenirs. Because it rained the whole time we were in Japan, we really needed the umbrellas, and the clear ones seemed like the ubiquitous Japanese umbrella at the time... Now, I wish we had come across these lovely handmade umbrellas, built by Mr. Kitazawa. The delicate craftsmanship is really beautiful and the fabrics remind me of Japanese papers..
Via Ping Mag Made
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Up Stairs
22 October 2007
I quite like the images of this Sfera Building project by Claesson Koivisto Rune. The facade has a delicate texture, not unlike projects by Delugan, H&dM and others. But more than the facade, I really like the verticality and the attention to light in this design. Known for horizontal lines, Japanese infill projects have been embracing the vertical nature of their given sites. This culture house in Kyoto is no exception. The exterior skin which illuminates the entire block while still providing light to the entire spaces even manages to enhance the vertical with the brightest lights at street level drawing your eye upward to the black evening sky.
This second project No Picnic, an industrial design agency in Stockholm, Sweden is another fun project... One that reminds me of a studio project (especially the study models). The space created by the cuts and subtractions offer distinct vignettes and creates spectacular light and shadows. Still, the energetic interior seems quite appropriate for an industrial design firm. In fact, its not surprising to me at all that a firm specializing in industrial design would select a multi-disciplinary (architecture, interiors, products) like CKR.
I also wanted to bring your attention to the two staircases. These two projects are very different and yet the solutions for their vertical circulation are very similar. The narrow and tall stairwells create a sense of being in a deep chasm, but because they are filled with varying degrees of light and shadow and offer glimpses of spaces beyond, these chasms feel warm and inviting rather than oppressive and intimidating. I actually want to climb these stairs.
I also wanted to bring your attention to the two staircases. These two projects are very different and yet the solutions for their vertical circulation are very similar. The narrow and tall stairwells create a sense of being in a deep chasm, but because they are filled with varying degrees of light and shadow and offer glimpses of spaces beyond, these chasms feel warm and inviting rather than oppressive and intimidating. I actually want to climb these stairs.
Love The Life X4
09 October 2007
I really like this design of the Simpatica Restaurant because it reminds me of all the design we saw while in Tokyo, but updated in an even more modern way. For some reason, so many of the buildings in Japan are clad in ceramic tile (like this one)... And many of the store and restaurants open up onto the streetscape. I love the way Love The Life has incorporated these typically Japanese design ideas into a renovation of this restaurant. The clean lines and light fixtures at the interior are also a lot of fun!
Again, this is another project by Love The Life that opens up a retail space (in this case, a bakery) to the sidewalks. Folding doors are such a great way to bring the outside in... The molded ceiling is another great feature of the design.
This House of the Valley project reminds me of what we saw alot of in Japan. As everyone knows, the country is already densely populated, so in populous areas like Tokyo, architects are forced to design up rather than out. This multi-leveled house envelopes a courtyard, allowing the light to stream through the building, while still maintaining a fairly stark and private exterior facade. [And I'm a big fan of those light fixtures, too!]
This bakery design actually reminds me of the kind of design we see in New York, except that the exposed brick walls and steel trusses seem light rather than industrial. This is probably due as much to their color as to the other clean and light interior elements.Love The Life is clearly producing a range of clean and exciting projects... And if you are interested in checking out some of their in process works, you can read their blog! Assuming of course that you can read kanji!
Art in the Morning, Architecture in the Afternoon
02 October 2007
The Mori Art Museum recently held an exhibit titled 'Remember Le Corbusier'. The installation, which included interactive learning stations, celebrated Le Corbusier's contributions to both art and architecture. Throughout his life, Le Corbusier refused to practice architecture all day, devoting the mornings to art and the afternoons to architecture. Not a bad gig.
Expo 70
27 September 2007
These fountains designed by Isamu Noguchi for the Osaka World Expo 70 are quite beautiful...Via Deputy Dog
A Pretty Big Canvas
10 August 2007
This Tokyo house is just making me smile right now... Its got everything I love... line drawings, bold graphics, and a clean boxy form. I know that the graphics will eventually become dated, but it won't be a problem to paint over it with a new design or a simple even color. I especially love how the graphics have been extended over the glass, but seem to disappear at night when the lights are on. Seriously... how can you not love it?Via Cool Hunting
Probably Not Energy Efficient
01 May 2007
A friend recently turned me on to this project... This Matsunoyama Natural Science Museum by Takaharu Tezuka＋Yui Tezuka is a spectacular clean lined structure built of Cor-Ten steel. Its designed to withstand the pressures of 4 meter snow banks, in order for the occupants to experience the depth and light beneath the snow. The use of nature, particularly snow, is an innovative and quite spectacular use of material. I've got to believe that its probably fairly energy in-efficient, but its a beautiful structure nonetheless.
Ring House
17 April 2007
The Ring House by TNA-Arch is one of seven Record Houses for 2007. What is especially intriguing about this house, is that its actually a spec home! And who says spec homes can't be fabulous? This young firm worked hand in hand with a developer to find and build a solution that enhanced the site and resolved some of its complexities. After completion, the house was purchased before it was even seen in person! Hurray!- Innovation and commercial success can work together... Take a look at TNA-Arch's site and check out their architectural, furniture, and industrial projects; they are all worth a look.Almost One Year
27 March 2007
I don't have a lot of time to post today, so I've just put up this image of Roppongi Tokyo Louis Vuitton by Studio Aurelio Clementi. I can't believe its been almost a year since our trip... I'm still digesting all of the great design we were able to experience. I really hope that we will be able to get back there in the not too distant future.