神幸橋 - 高知県高岡郡梼原町
隈 研吾
梼原町総合庁舎
日本
高知県高岡郡梼原町
Kengo Kuma
Yasuhara Town Hall
Kouchi Prefecture, Takaoka-Gun, Yasuhara Town,
Japan
This town hall by Kengo Kuma borrows from the form and tectonic tradition of the traditional Japanese mountain village, but reinterprets these in a thoroughly modern way. The buildings employs an interesting mechanical system to manually open itself up as a form of natural ventilation for the hot and humid Shikoku summer.
葉 祥栄
海のピラミッド
日本
熊本県上天草市
Shoei Yoh
Sea Pyramid
Kumamoto Prefecture, Kamiamkusa City,
Japan
Originally constructed as a Ferry Terminal to service many of the small western Islands off the coast of Kyushu, the building was serving as a Nightclub at the time of my visit.
隈 研吾
石の美術館
日本
栃木県那須郡那須町
Kengo Kuma
Stone Gallery
Tochigi Prefecture, Nasu-Gun, Nasu Town,
Japan
Oya-ishi, a kind of Igneous stone conspicuous in Tochigi and indeed much of the North Kanto Plain. Its strength of resistance to erosion as well as its softness and ease of quarrying made it a highly popular building material in this part of Japan well into recent times where a declining interest in traditional construction coupled with the proliferation of ’less expensive’ alternatives have significantly affected the industry.
This museum/gallery in Nasu, a region with a strong tradition of Oya stone construction, is an attempt to promote the local masonry culture. Composed around a central hall that takes the form of a traditional Oya stone builing, the architecture is highly experiential, guiding the visitors over bridges and through tunnels to the central courtyard that branches off to a number of side rooms and galleries. It is a building that changes as one progresses through it, that holds a multitude of unique physical moments linked together by the tectonics of the construction.
錦帯橋 - 山口県岩国市
Kintai Bridge - Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
北川原 温
海上の森・望楼
日本
愛知県
Atsushi Kitagawara
Kaisho Forest View Tube
Aichi Prefecture
Japan
Located in the Kaisho Forest just east of Nagoya, this viewing platform is not an easily accessible building, however the view of the city below makes the climb thoroughly worthwhile. The timber lattice style of architecture is part of an experimental series constructed by Kitagawara, and in this case is well suited suited to its natural surroundings.
