Small Houses:: Contemporary Japanese Dwellings

Hildner assembles about 25 houses in a simple format where each project is illustrated with a few photos and floor plans (sometimes accompanied by sections and/or elevations); the drawings are rendered consistently, helping to make the book graphically appealing. Seven one-page essays are interspersed among the projects, each elucidating a particular trend or consideration of contemporary houses in Japan. Ulf Meyer provides a helpful introductory essay that traces the evolution of Japanese residential architecture in the last 100 years or so. He also provides case studies by now well-known architects -- Kenzo Tange, Toyo Ito, Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma -- but Hildner's selection of succeeding projects focuses on younger architects; this makes sense, since a lot of these small commissions go to younger architects that have not yet made a name for themselves. As in any contemporary collection, certain projects stand out more than others. In the case of Small Houses, for me those include: House in Buzen by Suppose Design Office; Kondo House by Makiko Tsukada Architects; Moriyama House, also by Suppose Design Office; and the Minimalist House by Shinichi Ogawa & Associates. When I start to break down what these projects have in common, why they appeal to me, it has to do with how they deal with the small lots and dense contexts of Japanese cities to create internalized worlds for their owners. The House in Buzen, for example, creates a network of skylit internal streets between each room occupying its own "building." The Minimalist House is basically just a rectangular box, six meters wide by nine meters long, but one third of the long dimension is occupied by a courtyard beyond an all-glass wall; open to the sky, this space is the only part of the house not closed off to the exterior, a slot of sky and sunlight that is as powerful as it is minimal. This shared trait across these four projects -- also evident in many of the others in the book -- hits on why the Japanese small houses are so appealing: they creatively shape space and experience in tiny footprints to create microcosms of the city outside, yet eschewing apparent chaos for tranquility and calm. About This Book: The Poetry of Small Houses 7 The Roots of Contemporary Japanese Residential Architecture 11 CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE DWELLINGS 29 HOUSE WITH GARDENS / YOKOHAMA / TETSUO KONDO ARCHITECTS 30 SAKURA HOUSE / TOKYO / MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO 34 O HOUSE / KYOTO / HIDEYUKI NAKAYAMA ARCHITECTURE 38 TREAD MACHIYA / TOKYO / ATELIER BOW-WOW 44 PRIVACY AND PUBLICNESS 48 HOUSE IN KOMAE / TOKYO / GO HASEGAWA & ASSOCIATES 50 HOUSE IN BUZEN / BUZEN / SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE 54 FINAL WOODEN HOUSE / KUMAMOTO / SOU FUJIMOTO ARCHITECTS 58 A CULTURE SHAPED BY WOOD 62 SMALL HOUSE H / TAKASAKI / KUMIKO INUI 64 DANCING LIVING HOUSE / YOKOHAMA / A.L.X. JUN' ICHI SAMPEI 68 RING HOUSE / KARUIZAWA / TNA TAKEI NABESHIMA ARCHITECTS 72 KONDO HOUSE / TOKYO / MAKIKO TSUKADA ARCHITECTS 77 STEPS AND LAYERS 80 RECTANGLE OF LIGHT / SAPPORO / JUN IGARASHI ARCHITECTS 82 TREE HOUSE / TOKYO/MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO 86 VILLA KANOUSAN / KIMITSU / YUUSUKE KARASAWA ARCHITECTS 90 SPACE WITHOUT SPACE 96 PILOTIS IN A FOREST / TSUMAGOI / GO HASEGAWA & ASSOCIATES 98 HOUSE C / CHIBA / HIROSHI NAKAMURA & NAP ARCHITECTS 102 KCH / TOKYO / KOCHI ARCHITECTS STUDIO 106 DEALING WITH THE EXISTING FABRIC 110 TSUI NO SUMIKA / UJI / KITE ARCHITECTURE 112 HOUSE OF TROUGH / HOKKAIDO / JUN IGARASHI ARCHITECTS 116 MOSAIC HOUSE / TOKYO / TNA TAKEI NABESHIMA ARCHITECTS 120 TOWER MACHIYA / TOKYO/ATELIER BOW-WOW 124 BEAUTY AND EPHEMERALITY 128 MORIYAMA HOUSE / NAGOYA / SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE 130 MINIMALIST HOUSE / ITOMAN / SHINICHI OGAWA & ASSOCIATES 136 ATELIER BISQUE DOLL / OSAKA / UID ARCHITECTS 140 THE GARDEN AS PART QF THE ARCHITECTURE 146 HOUSE TOKYO / TOKYO/A.L.X. JUN' ICHI SAMPEI 148 HOUSE H / TOKYO / SOU FUJIMOTO ARCHITECTS 152 Architects 157 Japanese residential building has fascinated whole generations of architects. Alongside the strict implementation of design concepts, the small conceptual houses are excellent examples for the demonstration of creative experimentation in terms of spatial configuration, materials and the ability to organise even the smallest of spaces. These houses are like miniature laboratories, clearly showing not only the creativity of Japanese architects but also the treatment of 'the ephemeral' and the various layered boundaries between private and public space. The fast pace of change in Japanese cities has generated an enormous architectural treasure trove for the Western world. This treasure trove will be documented in Small Houses, a book that will also familiarise the reader with the broader aspects of Japanese culture. Small Houses is a book about Japanese residential building aimed at architects, interior designers, students and anyone interested in this exciting and dynamic scene. The book focuses on the small houses, mainly one-family houses. The selected projects are by both internationally renowned architects and by architectural practices that are little known outside Japan. An in-depth treatment will be presented for each project, which will familiarise readers with the cultural and societal context and the particular Japanese way of treating certain architectural elements. The presentation of details that are irrelevant outside of Asia is avoided. The book focuses on existing residential buildings that are represented by images and other architectural graphics such as layouts and sections Condensed ingenuity: Japanese residential architecture. When designing small residences, Japanese architects play with the boundaries of space, employ unusual materials, and develop new concepts for living together. The creativity of Japan's architects is revealed by their buildings and by their ability to organize even the tiniest space. The short life of residential buildings has led to an enormous store of architecture ideas, and "Small Houses" documents the current approaches. Japanese residential buildings are and have always been a seismograph of current trends in the country's architecture. The evolution this housing type has undergone since the early days of Japanese modernism is therefore the subject of Ulf Meyer's introductory essay. The project descriptions that follow it are dedicated to the specifically Japanese approach to certain elements of architecture. The focus of the project description is on the architectural concept, communicated to the reader in numerous illustrations and overview plans. Scattered texts provide more detailed information about the cultural and design background. "Small Houses" is addressed to architects, interior designers, students, and interested members of the general public. Although it includes works by such renowned architects as Sou Fujimoto Architects and Atelier Bow-Wow, the primary focus is on buildings by firms that are not yet famous abroad but have already attracted a lot of attention in Japan for their powerful architectural ideas When designing small residences, Japanese architects play with the boundaries of space, employ unusual materials, and develop new concepts for living together. The creativity of Japans architects is revealed by their buildings and by their ability to organize even the tiniest space. The short life of residential buildings has led to an enormous store of architecture ideas, and Small Houses documents the current approaches. Japanese residential buildings are and have always been a seismograph of current trends in the country s architecture. The evolution this housing type has undergone since the early days of Japanese modernism is therefore the subject of Ulf Meyer s introductory essay. The project descriptions that follow it are dedicated to the specifically Japanese approach to certain elements of architecture. The focus of the project description is on the architectural concept, communicated to the reader in numerous illustrations and overview plans. Scattered texts provide Beim Entwurf kleiner Wohnhäuser spielen japanische Architekten mit Raumgrenzen, nutzen ungewohnte Materialien und entwickeln neue Konzepte des Zusammenlebens. An den Bauten zeigt sich die Kreativität von Japans Baukünstlern, sowie deren Fähigkeit, selbst den kleinsten Raum zu organisieren. Die Kurzlebigkeit der Wohnbauten liess über die Jahre einen riesigen Architekturfundus entstehen, dessen aktuelle Neuzugänge "Kleine Häuser" dokumentiert. Japanische Wohnhäuser sind und waren stets ein Seismograph für aktuelle Tendenzen in der Architektur des Landes. Die Entwicklung, die dieser Typus seit dem Beginn der japanischen Moderne durchlief, ist daher das Thema des einleitenden Essays von Ulf Meyer. Die daran anschliessenden Projektbeiträge widmen sich jeweils dem spezifisch japanischen Umgang mit bestimmten Architekturelementen Biographical note: Claudia Hildner, Architektin und Architekturjournalistin, lebt zur Zeit in JapanStudium der Architektur an der TU München, Auslandsstudium an der Tokio University, Praktika u.a. bei der db deutsche bauzeitung und dem design report, Volontariat bei der Zeitschrift Baumeister. Seit 2007 freie Journalistin in Stuttgart, u.a für Konradin Medien, Callwey Verlag sowie den niederländischen Verlag SDU Uitgevers. Im Jahr 2009 erschien im Verlag AV edition das Messedesign-Jahrbuch 2009/2010, das sie zusammen mit Christian Schönwetter redaktionell betreut hat. Im Frühjahr 2010 entstand das Buch "Wand", in Zusammenarbeit mit Simone Hübener und frei04 publizistik für die DVA