Architects: Claesson Koivisto Rune
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Project team: Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto, Ola Rune, Kumi Nakagaki, Patrick Coan
Client: Shigeo Mashiro, Ricordi & Sfera co., ltd.
Contractor: Sugawara Construction co., ltd.
Total floor area: 1,200 sqm
Project Year: 2003
Photographs: Åke E:son Lindman, Nacasa & Partners inc., Johan Fowelin
The Sfera Building is a culture centre in Gion containing an art gallery, a design shop, an art book and music store, restaurants, offices and a café.
Gion is the traditional district of Kyoto. The centuries old low, wooden houses share a typical feature: the sunscreen, made of bamboo, wood or rice paper. We wanted to find a way to make a screen that did the same thing, but in a new way. We picked some leaves from a small cherry tree. In our office, we laid the cherry leaves on a light-table and photographed them. Our leaf image transformed, with the help of computers, into a punched-hole pattern. The resulting facades were a ”leaf screen” that had a monolithic appearance, yet was actually transparent: a titanium veil, creating an intricate play of light and shadow on the interior.
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- © Courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune
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- situation plan
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- floor plan
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- elevations
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- axo
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- details
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- diagram 01
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- diagram 02
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- diagram 03
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