Tag Archives: japan

11 Aug 09

Pagoda Engineering

Of the hundreds of pagoda’s in Japan only two in the last 1400 years are known to have fallen down in one of the most earthquake prone areas of the world. The Toji pagoda in Kyoto is 55m tall and it was only in 1968 that one office block was erected in Japan that was [...]
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21 Mar 09

New Finnish Embassy in Japan

Architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki have won the design competition for a new Finnish Embassy in Tokyo. The project is notable for the semi-opaque all glass facade which is patterned. In so much as it conveys an atmosphere or even an imagined landscape by a layering through the different glazing it could be a great project.  [...]
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16 Feb 08

Japanese House

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 [...]
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9 Jan 08

Junichiro Tanizaki In Praise of Shadows

Junichiro Tanizaki – In Praise of Shadows In the West we chase light, air and openness, as naturally as a flower turns towards the sun. However Junichiro 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 [...]
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30 Aug 07

Playing & Learning

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 [...]
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21 May 07

Nakagin Capsule Tower

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 [...]
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6 Oct 06

Japan and Finland with a Shared Design Culture

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 [...]
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1 Dec 05

Hiroshi Naito Lecture-Innerscape

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 [...]
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