OFFICE IN FOREST BY SUGAWARADAISUKE

This the head office project at Matsuzaka, Mie prefecture in Japan, parts of the City are within the limits of the Yoshino-Kumano National Park.

The project‘s target is not on the value of the object view in respect to sculptural appearance of the building , but　rather on the value of the environmental view with body experience.

Various places are created in the whole of the site with hut volumes and 4 season gardens.

The large reflect ceiling and different types of windows invite plantation colors to inside.

Body experience here changes dramatically according to seasons, weathers and human activities.

This project proposes a new approach to office design, which enables us to choose working places not only by function or work typology, but also by the experiential qualities of a space and its effect on the human body through reflected nature. 

This experience is realized by total design approach from landscape, architecture to furniture as spatial elements equivalently.

Location: Matsuzaka, Japan

Architects: SUGAWARADAISUKE

Landscalpe: Masae Kawai

Construction: KITAMURAGUMI Corporation

Floor Area: 348.01 sqm

Site Area: 1,193.30 sqm

Area: 356,44 sqm

Year: 2012

Photographs: Takeshi Nakasa © Nacása & Partners Inc.

VILLA SSK BY TAKESHI HIROBE ARCHITECTS

“The location for this project was adjacent to the calm and tranquil waters of Tokyo Bay. When we first visited the site, we were immediately overwhelmed by the presence of the ocean.

Soon, however, we became attuned to the subtle cues coming from the surroundings, such as the movements of the sun, the flow of the wind, the scent of the tide, the stirrings of the plants, and the presence of the rocky mountain.

We were particularly impressed by the sea and the soaring verticality of the sky overhead, as well as the rocky mountain on the opposite side and the vegetation growing on them. For this reason, we decided to design a building that would serve to connect these mountains to the imposing expanse of the ocean.

The client requested a comfortable, generously proportioned living, dining and kitchen area, a bathroom overlooking the ocean, a guest room, and a spare room that could be used to display his beloved car.

The portion of the house encircled by the central area, guest room and spare room was turned into a tiled central courtyard where dogs can play. The courtyard also serves as an outdoor living room where large numbers of guests can gather and mingle.

Water can also flow into the courtyard to create a basin that reflects the subtle nuances of the surrounding light and wind. Timber panel wall-building and timber space trusses were used to create a structure that connects the ocean-facing side and mountain-facing sides of the house.

Although the trusses themselves occupy a wide space, gaps have been left in between the different materials. By angling the walls obliquely in accordance with the necessary spacing and throat gaps required for the truss structure, we were able to eliminate a certain oppressiveness from the interior.

Architecture ought to be rooted in the place it occupies. The architectural form of this building somehow emerged during the long process of analyzing and studying the location.

Although the design process was supposed to have entailed a frantic accumulation of decision-making and choosing between possible options, the finished building gives one the strange, lingering impression of having been constructed according to some law or other.

By combining rigid timber panel wall-building (a type of laminated veneer lumber) and truss arches, we were able to create a tunnel-shaped space with almost no right-angled walls despite the wide span of the building.” Description of Architect.

 

 

Location: Chiba, Japan

Architects: Takeshi Hirobe Architects

Structural Engineer: Akira Ouchi /S FORM

Area: 105.05 sqm

Year: 2012

Photographs: Koichi Torimura

HIROSHI SENJU MUSEUM BY RYUE NISHIZAWA

Japanese architect Ryue Nishizawa has completed the ‘Hiroshi Senju Museum Karuizawa’, a single-storey cultural facility on a lush site in Karuizawa, Japan.

A collaborative effort with internationally recognised japanese artist Hiroshi Senju, the museum seeks to harmoniously link the exhibited art with the surrounding landscape within a naturally illuminated space.

Karuizawa is known for its harmony of nature and culture. Nishizawa choreographed a space where visitors could enjoy the feeling of becoming at one with the works of Hiroshi Senju and a forest in Karuizawa.

"Senju asked me to create an open, luminous space where people would observe his works, relax and spend time in contemplation. The museum, which gently hugs the natural slope of the site, has lighting controlled by deep eaves, silver screens, and UV cut glass while allowing in the greenery.

The open space was designed to unite Kazurizawaʼs nature and Senju’s art. I wanted to create a union of park and space that felt as inviting as a private living room." Ryue Nishizawa, architect.

For the 3000 tsubo site (nearly 2.5 acres), the two creators Senju and Nishizawa collaborated on a dream project.

Housing a wide collection of the artist’s work from 1978 to the present day, the museum utilises the natural elements of the site as a backdrop to the pieces displayed.

The floor gently follows the pre-existing contours of the land, subtly swelling and dipping throughout the gallery. A series of organically-shaped light wells puncture through the roof, injecting pockets of greenery within the interior.

Deeps eaves, silver screens, and UV-cut glass panels control the amount of daylight intake while allowing in the qualities of the forest.

Sitting between the parking lot and the museum is the ‘color leaf garden’ which acts as a natural buffer zone for visitors.

Involving the planting of 150 plant varieties and numbering more than 60,000 roots, the color leaf project’s pink, yellow, purple, silver and red shrubs and grasses fan out around the site as if in benediction of the museum.

In Karuizawa, with its pure air, gentle breezes and soft light, visitors can now experience a place of extraordinary imagination and beauty. 

 

Location: Nagano, Japan 
Architect: RyueNishizawa 
Total Floor Area: 1818.42 sqm 
Exhibition Space: 1490.51 sqm 
Museum Office: 128.16 sqm 
Gallery: 199.75 sqm 
Year: 2011

KARUIZAWA MUSEUM BY YASUI HIDEO ATELIER

Located close to the area of Yatsugatake Mountain, in Nagano, Japan, this cultural museum complex was completed in 2011 by Yasui Hideo Atelier.

“The inspiration came from ORIGAMI, the well-known Japanese paper craft technique, which I united with the nature found in the site of Yatsugatake mountain area in Nagano - Yasui Hideo says -

Since the facility is located next to the world famous Japanese artist/painter’s museum, I wanted to harmonize Japanese traditional element and Japanese modern aspect and create an unique architecture.

I totally wanted to differenciate my work from the museum designed with lots of curves; I used straight lines to make a significant contrast, while showing its originality, but still,

I think my work has a well-balance with the museum. I would say developing ORIGAMI object to a real architectue has been a big challenge; at first, I created objects from paper with ORIGAMI technique, then I developed the structure to a real architectual one by playing with different triangler parts.”

The architect shares that he had to draw and create different origami objects in order to acquire the origami technique and he interpreted it in his own way and implanted it into the design.

Developing an origami object into a minimalist architecture has turned out to be a very creative, even ingenious idea. The futuristic aspect of this architecture is the usage of straight lines.

The materials are carefully chosen to compliment the design of the building. The deconstructed, multifaceted, 423.51-square-meters two-storey building is supported by a steel structure while its characteristic sharp edges and sky-piercing spikes have been developed in titanium and glass.

 

Location: Nagano-Ken, Japan

Architect: Yasui Hideo Atelier

Site Area: 8,330.42 M2

Building Area: 331.60 M2

Total Floor Area: 423.51 M2

Structure: Steel Structure

Client: International Cultural College Foundation

Construction: Sasazawa Construction