Deanna MacDonald - Eco Living Japan: Sustainable Ideas for Living Green

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to give my sincere thanks to all who helped in the completion of this book. There were many architects, designers and photographers who shared their work, stories and ideas. Many went beyond the call of duty.

Miwa Mori of Key Architects accompanied me to see her Passive House in Karuizawa (my thanks to the owner as well), while Kazuyuki Igawa came from Chiba to Tokyo to spend a few hours describing his recent house renovation and the importance of saving traditional houses for modern families. Edward Suzuki was first on board with his thoughtful Katsura-inspired project, and in Kyoto Moritz Kruger was an enthusiastic and helpful source of information on Aoi Kyoto Stays machiya restorations. Mariko Inaba of Kengo Kuma and Associates spent much effort in finding the right images, and in Norway Irene Svik and Ivan Brodley kindly responded to a roundabout request. Lenka Kremenova of A1 Architects provided thoughtful insights into what Japanese aesthetics have to say to Bohemia. Jim Lambiasi has been incredibly supportive of the project from its beginning and helped with the invaluable assistance of Joshua Ito, who kindly redrew many of our architectural plans.

To all those at Tuttle Publishing who helped see this book through to completion, thank you so much for your hard work, patience and professionalism.

Most of all, I would like to thank Dr Geeta Mehta without whom my life in Japan would have been very different. She introduced me to the world of Japanese architecture, sharing her time, knowledge and clear ethical perspective on the built environment. Without her amazing generosity, this book would not have been written.

ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS

A1 Architects (page )

a1architects.cz

Hostavick 44/37

Praha 14, 19800

Czech Republic

acaa (page )

ac-aa.com

4-15-40-403 Nakakaigan

Chigasaki-shi

Kanagawa 253-005

Japan

architect caf (page )

mikio tai architect associates

architect-cafe.com

501 Matsuhiro Building

3-14-8 Ginza Chuo-ku

Tokyo 104-0061

Japan

Atelier Tekuto (page )

tekuto.com

Jinguemai Forest Building B1F

Jinguemae 4-1-20, Shibuya

Tokyo 150-0001

Japan

BAKOKO Architects (page )

bakoko.jp

85-4-402 Nemoto

Matsudo

Chiba 271-0077

Japan

Edward Suzuki Associates (page )

edward.net

Keyaki House 101

19-10-3 Nishi-Azabu

Minato-ku

Tokyo 106-0031

Japan

Fujimura Masatsugu (page )

en.kyoto-stay.jp/list/shinmachi.html

Aoi Corporation

Tenno-cho 145-1, 4F

Kiyamachi-dori Bukkoji-agaru

Shimogyo-ku

Kyoto 600-8013

Japan

Igawa Architects (page )

igawa-arch.com

Kowata 613

Inashiki

Ibaraki prefecture 300-0638

Japan

Irene Svik architect (page )

MNAL savik.no

Skovveien 39A

0258 Oslo

Norway

Kengo Kuma and Associates (page )

kkaa.co.jp

2-24-8 BY-CUBE 2F

Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku

Tokyo 107-0062

Japan

Key Architects (pages )

key-architects.com

2-2-2 Ohmachi

Kamakura

Kanagawa 248-0007

Japan

Konishi Gaffney (page )

konishigaffney.com

132 Constitution Street

Edinburgh EH6 6AJ

Scotland

Lambiasi + Hayashi Architects (page )

lh-arch.com

2-17-12-101 Aobadai

Meguro-ku

Tokyo 153-0042

Japan

rhythmdesign (page )

rhythmdesign.org

7-26-10-3 Okusunoki

Fukuoka Itiminami

Fukuoka 815-0082

Japan

Studio Junction (page )

studiojunction.ca

2087 Davenport Road

Toronto

Ontario M6N 1C9

Canada

Takashi Okuno Architectural Design Office (page )

okunotakashi.sakura.ne.jp

2-18-1 Misake #4, 3F

Miasakemachi

Matsuyama

Ehime prefecture 790-0814

Japan

Uemachi Laboratory (page )

www.uemachi.org

Terahata 2-9-10

Kawanishi

Hyogo 666-0034

Japan

Yasushi Horibe Architect & Associates (page )

1.ocn.ne.jp/~horibe-a/index.html

3F, 10-5 Fukuromachi,

Shinjuku-ku

Tokyo 162-0828

Japan

CHAPTER 1

BORROWED LANDSCAPES

PUTTING NATURE IN THE DESIGN

This section looks at projects that incorporate nature in the design, quite literally, whether by including actual trees and gardens as natural green curtains or by employing the age-old Japanese concept of shakkei, or borrow landscape, in which exterior nature views are made part of the interior experience of the home.

Architecture and nature were closely linked in traditional Japanese building. In pre-modern Japan, houses were made of renewable natural materials and gardens were features in high-end houses as well as at the heart of dense working-class city blocks. The dense concrete urbanity of contemporary Japan has taken much of the green out of everyday life. A garden has now become something one occasionally visits.

American biologist and naturalist E. O. Wilson has hypothesized that human beings have an instinctive bond with other living systems, that is, nature. According to Wilson, Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction. Our living spaces should reflect this natural affinity, bringing in natural light, fresh air and a sense of place.

Can bringing nature into the home really make people happier and homes healthier and more sustainable? These projects suggest that it does. Yasushi Horibes House in Tateshina frames nature as an ever-changing work of art. Uemachi Laboratorys House in Nara echoes and embellishes its tranquil garden setting. With a small footprint, natural materials and a unique design open to and respectful of its verdant and historic environment, acaas House in Kita-Kamakura adds to the already abundant beauty of its surroundings. Rhythmdesigns House in Raizan Forest floats on a hill in a forest, creating tree-filled views and the lightest footprint possible. And in a dense Tokyo suburb, architect caf brings a bit of rural greenery in its House in Komae.

HOUSE IN KITA-KAMAKURA

ARCHITECT ACAAKAZUHIKOKISHIMOTO

LOCATION KITA-KAMAKURA, KANAGAWA PREFECTURE

COMPLETION 2008