Rainy・Sunny in Tokyo, Japan by Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Article source: Mount Fuji Architects Studio

The site is there in a residential area in Tokyo, dense with low-rise buildings, located a little bit west to the center of the Kanto plain. 
The climate there is about to change from warm humid climate to rainforest climate in near future.

I’m not making a “house” this time. It should be a lasting “terrain” that induces “habitation”. My goal is to shape the terrain up to a freshly designed “residence” with no preestablished harmony sensed.

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

• Architects: Mount Fuji Architects Studio
• Project: Rainy・Sunny
• Location: Tokyo, Japan
• Photography: Ryota Atarashi
• Design Team: Masahiro Harada + MAO (principals-in-charge) + Naoto Ishi , Kazuyoshi Nomura
• Structural engineering: Jun Sato structural engineers
• Structure: Reinforced Concrete
• Site Area: 108.3m²
  
• Building Area: 53.1m²
  
• Total Floor Area: 79.5m²
  
• Project year: 2008

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

If I want a landscape with high habitability, the architecture should go beyond some abstract morphology. After all, a terrain is created as a consequence of long time conversation held between physical substances such as rocks and soils and unique climate of the area. Finding a best balance between materials and climate and incarnate that in the form of architecture… This is a challenge to take elements that modern architecture has long been ignored – climate, materials and many problems posed by aging – into design factor once again and shift them to architectural blessings.

The project started with questing the best structure and materials to realize “a terrain that lasts forever”.

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

One existing way to match the structure and finished shape is to use bare reinforced concrete as walls. But it’s of questionable value when it comes to durability. Rain washes alkali away from wall surface and makes it extremely short-lived. Shuttering of coated plywood board makes a smooth surface that looks great on the day of completion, however, weather-beaten, it will look sad and old within a few years. So I invented new construction system. Bare reinforced concrete wall with creasing (h=18mm) every 500 mm apart would keep alkali in and stain off. Larch plywood is used as mold instead of coated plywood in order to transfer wood grain to the surface of the wall to make it textured. That way, aged deterioration turns into something of aesthetic value, just like wrinkles of well- used jeans.

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Ryota Atarashi

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Image Courtesy © Mount Fuji Architects Studio

Tags: Japan, Tokyo

Categories: House, Residential

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