Pod life: the potential of concrete is explored in this delicate yet robust structure.Concrete technology takes another small and surprising leap, even by exacting Japanese standards, in this delicately perforated per·fo·ra·ted adj. Pierced with one or more holes. pod-for-all-occasions designed by Kazuya Morita. The secret of this remarkable little structure lies in its material and construction. The concrete is fibre-reinforced, a combination of white cement, lightweight aggregate and glass fibre. This mixture was meticulously hand trowelled onto a carved styrofoam mould by skilled plasterers (the traditional Japanese plasterer's art is known as sakan). The perforations were created by attaching styrofoam rings to the dome-shaped master mould. When the concrete hardened, the mould was dismantled and removed. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The result is a structure of immense beauty and simplicity. The concrete skin is a mere 15 mm thick, with a height and diameter of 1.7 m; proportions comparable to those of a hen's eggshell, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the architect. Yet this concrete eggshell is also immensely strong and can easily bear the weight of a person. Placed on a raft of tatami ta·ta·mi n. pl. tatami or ta·ta·mis Straw matting used as a floor covering especially in a Japanese house. [Japanese.] mats, the pod becomes a tranquil TRANQUIL - 1966. ALGOL-like language with sets and other extensions, for the Illiac IV. "TRANQUIL: A Language for an Array Processing Computer", N.E. Abel et al, Proc SJCC 34 (1969). enclave enclave /en·clave/ (en´klav) tissue detached from its normal connection and enclosed within another organ. en·clave n. A detached mass of tissue enclosed in tissue of another kind. for contemplation or play. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a forest setting with the sun dappling through the holes, it has a quietly lyrical intensity that seduced the jury, who were also impressed by the ingenuity involved in its making. C. S. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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