Taking a concept most commonly applied to broken pottery, artist Rachel Sussman applies golden pigment to the cracks in paved urban surfaces in a series called ‘Sidewalk Kintsukuroi.’ In Japan, this tradition – also known as kintsugi – treats breakage and repair as a valuable part of an object’s history instead of something to disguise. The cracks are highlighted and in effect, celebrated, making the object more visually interesting.

It’s interesting to see this idea of embracing flaws extended to public surfaces. Instead of simply allowing them to be paved over, Sussman calls attention to them and makes them into works of art. In this sense, these cracks become part of the constant evolution of a city, remaining visible even after the functionality of these roads or sidewalks has been restored.

The resulting patterns are often quite stunning, their irregularities taking on abstract compositions of light and dark, matte and luminescent. In some cases, they almost look like marble.

Susan created the in-ground installations using tree sap-based resin and a combination of bronze and 23.5 carat gold dust. To reproduce the effect in a gallery environment, the artist hand-painted enamel and metallic dust onto photographs of the physical works. They’re currently on display as part of the Alchemy: Transformations in Gold show at the Des Moines Art Center.

Expertly blending the minimalist aesthetics of traditional Japanese architecture with modern sensibilities to meet the needs of contemporary residents, architect Tomohiro Hata graces each of his cleverly-designed homes with his own distinctive style. Haha is particularly skilled at producing sunny, airy residences that feel luxurious, dynamic and fresh despite tight budgets, challenging sites and building regulations.

Re-Slope House

Modern Japanese architects have found creative ways to enable privacy in densely packed urban residential areas without cutting off access to sunlight, and to balance a cozy cave-like atmosphere in one part of the home with an airy, almost entirely open facade. In the case of Tomohiro Hata’s ‘Re-Slope House,’ the plot is set into a rocky Kobe hillside, cutting off access to light and air in the back half of the house.

Hata’s adaptive design is a wedge-shaped metal volume that follows the slope of the hill, placing oversized windows at the front and inserting wooden platforms inside for varying access to the light. Three open-plan terraced platforms mimic an oversized set of stairs, stepping from a sunny room adjacent to the windows down into the more private rooms. Skylights let the sun pierce through to the back of the home, and sliding glass doors offer access to a top-floor terrace and a set of metal scaffolding on the hillside for plants. The street-facing facade is windowless; nearly all of the glass looks out onto the landscape, blocking the interior from the view of neighbors.

Complex House

The narrow profile of this plot of land in Nagoya created a challenge for Hata in designing a single-family residence that feels open and spacious, yet also private. The architect’s solution was to create a sharply angled, jagged silhouette pointing most of the windows up to the sky. The series of voids created by alternating pitched roofs brings sunlight in from all directions at various times of day as well as entirely walled-in courtyards.

The clever layout lets the occupants look out without providing passersby with a view into their home, creates a dynamic flow of foot traffic inside and has a far more interesting appearance from the curb than a simple box. The use of simple metal cladding keeps costs down and gives the home a minimalist, streamlined vibe.

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Modern Japanese Architecture Sunny Minimalism By Tomohiro Hata

Broken down to its most basic characteristics, the traditional Japanese zen garden inspires innovative design in everything from toys and candy to the most impossibly relaxing modern bathrooms you’ve ever seen. These unexpected takes on the traditional play on the meditative activity of dragging a rake through sand, the pleasingly minimalist aesthetic of the resulting lines and the sense of tranquility a zen garden can bring to a built environment.

Sugar Art: Edible Zen Garden

This miniature zen garden is entirely edible, with sugar standing in for sand and rocks made from black sesame candies. Created by designer Tomonori Saito, the Shinan-ji Temple Rock Garden provides you with a tiny wooden rake so you can play with your food before you eat it.

Kinetic Drawing Machine Creates Sand Art

Instead of a rake in the hands of a human, the patterns of lines in these circles of sand are created by steel marbles controlled by a kinetic drawing machine. The Sisyphus Machine by Bruce Shapiro produces mandala-like designs that swirl and change as the marbles move.

Interactive Zen Garden Installation in Quebec

This new take on the traditional Japanese zen garden replaces sand with gravel and uses three spinning tools inspired by agricultural machinery to create the patterns. Created by Talmon Biran Architecture for the International Garden Festival in Quebec, the ‘Dry Landscape’ installation requires participants to work in tandem to create their own circles without bumping into each other.

XYZen Garden Works Like an Etch-A-Sketch

Create your own relaxing DIY zen garden game with a tutorial at Instructables, which even includes shop drawings and templates. The XYZen Garden by Jonathan Odom works like an Etch-a-Sketch toy, using a pulley system to move the stylus across the sand.

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Zenith Of Zen 13 Nontraditional Takes On Japanese Gardens

In Asia, tea houses are typically striking examples of traditional architecture, reflecting the culture and history of the nations in which they’re built. But many architects are re-imagining this concept of a private, tranquil space dedicated to sacred or meditative activities through the lens of modern design. These 14 tea house designs include floating glass structures inspired by lanterns, temporary flat-pack huts and digitally designed shelters.

Glass Tea Houses in the Woods

A trio of minimalist glass cubes serve as tea houses, meditation and brainstorming getaways in the wooded backyard of a home in Silicon Valley. “Each tea house is designed as a transparent steel and glass pavilion, hovering like a lantern over the natural landscape,” says architecture firm Swatt Miers. “Cast-in-place concrete core elements anchor the pavilions, supporting steel channel rim joists which cantilever beyond the cores to support the floor and roof panes. With its minimal footprint, the design treads lightly on the land, minimizing grading and preserving the delicate root systems of the native oaks.”

Fujimori Tea House on Stilts

Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori has a little fun with traditional tea house designs by placing them high on stilts, stringing them between posts or otherwise removing them from any sense of being grounded. This one is precariously perched on just two narrow trunks in Nagano Prefecture, and is accessible by a rather intimidating freestanding ladder. Fujimori intentionally pushes the limits of tea house architecture, making it a bit of a challenge to access them, but rewarding once inside.

Paper Tea House by Shigeru Ban

Architect Shigeru Ban is renowned for making unexpected things out of paper and cardboard – like bridges and even churches. The Paper Tea House was created as part of a sale of Japanese art and design, constructed of square paper tubes with an indoor space measuring just over 5 meters long.

Floating Glass Tea House

This tea house floats over the landscape, a glass and bronze rectangle suspended from a frame in the image of a Japanese lantern. The backyard structure, by David Jameson, is also used as a meditation space and a stage for the family’s musical recitals.

Modern Tea House and Meditation Hut

This private tea house is elevated on the edge of a peaceful lake in Illinois on the property of architect Jeffery Poss. The vaulted roof reflects the dappled light from the surface of the pond onto the interior ceiling, and also pours rainwater into the pond. A low horizontal window frames a view of the water.

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The Art Of Tranquility 14 Modern Tea House Designs

A giant purple bubble will rise from a pile of plastic to bring music, workshops and performance to Japan’s northeastern coast, which was devastated by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011. A collaboration between British sculptor Anish Kapoor and Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, the Ark Nova is the world’s first inflatable concert hall, and will tour the country for the Lucerne Festival Arknova 2013.

Once fully inflated, the coated polyester structure measures nearly 60 feet in height and 115 feet in width. Its first stop is at a park in the town of Matsushima, which suffered serious damage to its many important cultural properties and artistic monuments, and lost thousands of residents.

Wood from cedar trees that were damaged by the floods was used to create seating for 500 guests. The structure can easily be deflated, and will travel around the region to host events that organizers hope will help rebuild local culture and spirit.

In addition to a range of modern concerts and performances, traditional Japanese culture such as kabuki theater will be celebrated. Children in the affected regions will also perform traditional arts and performances themed on the earthquake disaster.