Glass House for Diver / Naf Architect & Design

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Text description provided by the architects. This building is based on a simple system of stacking large concrete blocks of 1.0 m x 1.0 m x 1.5m like building blocks on top of one another to make a structure with big undulation like breakwater or wave-dissipating blocks. These large concrete blocks are manufactured at any cement factory in Etajima city, Hiroshima, at a very low price as excess cement is reused and often used for surface of retaining wall or anchors of rafts for cultured oysters. These large concrete blocks are manufactured from leftover concrete whenever there is an order of concrete at cement factory, as there will always be a surplus, and sold as a product instead of discarding. As concrete blocks are manufactured at such a rate, according to the operation situation of the factories, the construction progressed according to the pace of the manufacture of the concrete blocks. The construction of this building was not based on the time schedule, as in standard construction progress, but waited for the stock of large concrete blocks to continue the work; a “slow architecture” perceived ridiculous in modern construction work.