February 16, 2008 – 3:25 pm
Houses in Japan typically last for 30 years and are never sold before they are demolished. This article in the economist explains the economic reasons behind this but I instantly remembered that at least some Japanese temples like the Ise Shrine are remade every few years. The ideas of time, ageing and solidity seem tantalisingly [...]
January 9, 2008 – 6:08 pm
Junichiró Tanizaki - In Praise of Shadows
In the West we chase light, air and openness, as naturally as a flower turns towards the sun. However Junichiró Tanizaki writes about a Japanese sensibility for shadows, or the interior in its widest sense. He writes with the touch of the great writer he was and with [...]
August 30, 2007 – 12:14 pm
Fuji Kindergarten by Takaharu + Yui Tezuka is a lovely design. An eliptical roof covers the open rooms and encloses a courtyard where the roof also becomes an outside play area. The children come first and the playground is integral to every aspect of the programme and the childs learning.
View the slideshow about it and [...]
Built from 1970 and opened in 1972 the Nakagin Capsule Tower was a innovative masterpiece by architect Kisho Kurokawa. Kurokawa developed the technology to install the 2.3m x 3.8m x 2.1m sized capsule units into a concrete core with only 4 high-tension bolts, making the units detachable and replaceable. The capsules were designed to accommodate [...]
October 6, 2006 – 9:00 am
Natural materials and the economy of their use seem to be a common theme see Pinmag for a flavour of the latest news from Japan, where they have featured several Finnish items. Oh and they like to make films over here to!
Finland has established a considerable reputation in Japan. This is reflected in the increasing [...]
December 1, 2005 – 11:38 am
The Alvar Aalto Academy and the MFA last night brought us Hiroshi Naito to speak at the Atheneum in Helsinki about some of his projects. For me it was the first time I saw his work and it was a real revelation. He produces wonderful buildings generated principally from a connecting detail usually a beautifully [...]
