Delight.The Japanese might be said to have elevated compactness into an art form (bonsai bonsai (bōn`sī), art of cultivating dwarf trees. Bonsai, developed by the Japanese more than a thousand years ago, is derived from the Chinese practice of growing miniature plants. , origami The code name for Microsoft's Ultra-Mobile PC. See Ultra-Mobile PC. , capsule hotels), but lack of buildable build·a·ble adj. Suitable or available for building: "The problem was finding a site that was well located, appropriately zoned . . . and buildable" Sam Hall Kaplan. space is a perpetual and pressing issue. Such constraints do, however, continue to generate responses that, despite their often bizarre physicality, suggest alternative ways of engaging with and experiencing the city. Here, Tokyo-based architectural funsters Klein Dytham prove that they are never ones to shirk shirk In Islam, idolatry and polytheism, both of which are regarded as heretical. The Qu'ran stresses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik) and warns that those who believe in idols will be harshly dealt with on the Day of Judgment. a challenge, even when confronted by the prospect of colonising a barely inhabitable sliver sliver in wool processing a continuous band of carded and combed wool which has not yet been twisted into yarn. of land. Left over from successive developer and local authority machinations, the site, in the Moto-Azabu district, was still too valuable to waste. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The commission came from jewellery designer Masako Ban (wife of Shigeru Ban Shigeru Ban (坂茂, Ban Shigeru; born 1957 in Tokyo, Japan) is an accomplished Japanese and international architect, most famous for his innovative work with paper ) who snapped up the tiny plot when it came up for rent. Known for her boldly contemporary pieces in silver, lacquer lacquer, solution of film-forming materials, natural or synthetic, usually applied as an ornamental or protective coating. Quick-drying synthetic lacquers are used to coat automobiles, furniture, textiles, paper, and metalware. , acrylic and foam, Ban wanted a studio-cum-shop that reflected her penchant for strong, unconventional designs. The striking outcome is a building that is bonsai-sized, even by Japan's extreme standards, but which also adds a shot of graphic vigour to the urban realm. Measuring 11m long and 2.5m wide (but tapering down to a mere 600mm), the main facade of the slim, two-storey wedge boldly fronts a busy road, rather like an advertising hoarding. To Klein Dytham, the relationship between the building and its surroundings seemed more like a piece of advertising than architecture, so rather than being an ultra small building, it became a large, inhabitable billboard. This perceptual twist offered the potential to experiment with the facade which has been eagerly and inventively seized. Images of a bamboo grove are stencilled in white along the glass facade and the long back wall is painted green. By day, the bamboo graphic becomes an eye-catching and simple form of sun-shading; by night, green light dapples through the interior to create the seductive and slightly surreal optical illusion of a luminous bamboo plantation sprouting in the heart of one of the world's densest cities. Photographs: Daici Ano |
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