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Final Wooden House / Sou Fujimoto

By Nico Saieh — Filed under: Infrastructure , Selected , , ,
 

Architects: Sou Fujimoto Architects
Location: Kumamoto, Japan
Project Team: Hiroshi Kato
Structural Consultant: Jun Sato Structural Engineers
Lighting: Hirohito Totsune
Contractor: Tanakagumi Construction
Design Year: 2005-2006
Construction Year: 2007-2008
Site Area: 89,3 sqm
Constructed Area: 15,13 sqm
Photographer: Iwan Baan


I thought of making an ultimate wooden architecture. It was conceived by just mindlessly stacking 350mm square.

Lumber is extremely versatile. In an ordinary wooden architecture, lumber is effectively differentiated according to functions in various localities precisely because it is so versatile. Columns, beams, foundations, exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings, floorings, insulations, furnishings, stairs, window frames, meaning all. However, I thought if lumber is indeed so versatile then why not create architecture by one rule that fulfills all of these functions. I envisioned the creation of new spatiality that preserves primitive conditions of a harmonious entity before various functions and roles differentiated.

There are no separations of floor, wall, and ceiling here. A place that one thought was a floor becomes a chair, a ceiling, a wall from various positions. The floor levels are relative and spatiality is perceived differently according to one’s position. Here, people are distributed three-dimensionally in the space. This is a place like an amorphous landscape with a new experience of various senses of distances. Inhabitants discover, rather than being prescribed, various functionalities in these convolutions.

This bungalow no longer fits the category of wooden architecture. If wooden architecture is merely something made from wood, then wood itself surpasses the architectural procedures to directly become a “place where people live” in this bungalow. It is of an existence akin to primitive conditions before architecture. Rather than just a new architecture, this is a new origin, a new existence.

 

40 comments »

Recien estoy llegando del World Architecture Festival y les comento que la casa de Sou Fujimoto ganó el premio en la categoría de “Housing Projects”.

Pueden ver los otros ganadores aca:
http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=44

Saludos

 
# October 23, 2008 at 16:39
Goya Tamara says:

Nice concept…this dude is cool.

 
# October 24, 2008 at 02:40
    Gaston says:

    It can be very beautiful, innovative but quite uninhabitable. Have not thought about the danger of blows to the head and other body parts?

     
    # October 28, 2009 at 03:13
gerson says:

nice “concept” house, but:
not a shelther so not a house
a lot of wasted material, energy and non-sustainability.
it’s a curious one design, local and nothing more
with a lot of aesthetics, artitic qualities
with regards
gerson

 
# October 24, 2008 at 06:55
rickArrowood says:

gorgeous exterior, however, the interior’s reminiscence of cave like dwelling looks to be a hard hat environment…conceptual and uninviting but nonetheless sensual and beautiful.

 
# October 24, 2008 at 09:37
T-bone says:

Would benefit from some cushions…

 
# October 24, 2008 at 11:11
Guillermo Hevia García says:

Sou Fujimoto is probably one of the most talented and propositive architects of nowadays, we should followed Sou´s future work,

Congratulations for the WAF award!

 
# October 24, 2008 at 20:05
jose david says:

very nice space maipulation, hope to meet you and talk about this.

JD

 
# October 24, 2008 at 22:44
Kamila says:

sculpture

 
# October 25, 2008 at 06:09
Benjamin says:

to gerson: “not a shelther so not a house”
-If you look closely you’ll see that those openings are covered with glass, therefore it is an enclosed shelter and therefore a house…

 
# October 28, 2008 at 20:27
adela brahaj says:

this house is amazing!
I love that someone like Suo Fujimoto has really captured the true Japanese aesthetic concept of bringing nature as close to our homes as possible…

 
# November 14, 2008 at 09:28
Fertighaus says:

Hey I search google more and found the plan of house on this website. Really great that you share this plan.
Thanks

 
# November 17, 2008 at 08:14
Robin says:

Hi. Interesting work and photos, especially at night. But…a little bit claustrofobic I think))Very good place in nature. I wish you a lot of inovation concepts.

 
# December 6, 2008 at 14:49
spetrounov says:

can you say JENGA!

 
# January 29, 2009 at 18:25

This awesome. Jenga, for sure. Great use of space with in the “treehouse”. Would make a fun place to “get away” to read or hang out with friends.

 
# February 19, 2009 at 14:14
emi says:

I love it, totally off beat.

 
# March 17, 2009 at 14:54
Robert Edward Cooper says:

Absolutely fascinating, exciting, rich, fantastic Jack-o-lantern__ can’t imagine roof glazing detail.

 
# May 9, 2009 at 00:07
RT says:

I am an architecture student, i had exactly the same design and concept for one of the projects, my professor just didn’t approve it! here goes the difference being an “architect” and an “architecture student”!

 
# June 30, 2009 at 17:21
NM says:

perforated claustrophobia for better promise of sleep

 
# July 6, 2009 at 18:14
putsuke says:

to many tree ‘die’ for this small ‘house’
but.. this ‘house’ is cool & fun
like it

 
# October 5, 2009 at 04:35
Raquel says:

muy interesante , me quede pensando mientras miraba las fotos, presupuesto chico, pocos metros,
mmm esta bueno

 
# November 5, 2009 at 22:35

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Can someone please describe the nature of these...[+]
voi toti bucuresteni stiti prea bine ce...[+]
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