Starchitect Spotlight: 9 Wooden Wonders by Kengo Kuma & Associates

SA Rogers — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 17:00:00 +0000

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma brings traditional Japanese building techniques and aesthetics into the 21st century with dynamic structures making creative use of wooden elements. Known for his gridded installations and unusual ways of stacking and assembling small pieces of wood, the architect often works with joinery techniques that negate the need for any metal fasteners.

Japan House in São Paulo, Brazil

Three iterations of the ‘Japan House,’ an outreach initiative by the Japanese government aiming to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in international communities, are planned for São Paulo, Los Angeles and London, respectively. Kengo Kuma recently completed the first one in Brazil, creating a tranquil and hospitable space within the bustling metropolis with one of his signature facades, this one made of cypress.

GC Prostho Museum Research Center

An old Japanese toy called ‘Cidori’ consists of an assembly of wooden sticks with unusual joints that allow you to expand and contract the toy by twisting the sticks; no nails or other metal fasteners are necessary to hold it together. Kuma translates this concept to architecture with the GC Prostho Museum Research Center in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. “Jun Sao, the structural engineer for the project, conducted a compressive and flexure test to check the strength of this system, and verified that even the device of a toy could be adapted to ‘big’ buildings,” says Kuma. “This architecture shows the possibility of creating a universe by combining small units like toys with your own hands. We worked on the project in the hope that the era of machine-made architectures would be over, and human beings would build again by themselves.”

One @ Tokyo

A facade of criss-crossed wooden beams gives the extruded cement panels on the front of the ONE@Tokyo hotel a more dynamic appearance. The architect wanted to “recall the rather rough but still approachable quality of this area,” which has historically been an industrial neighborhood full of small factories, but the beams also suggest abstracted tree branches as if to create a forest in a highly urbanized area.

Stacked Timber Museum

Stacked volumes clad in oversized wooden screens call to mind the childhood toy Lincoln Logs at the Odunpazari Modern Art Museum in Turkey. Kuma takes inspiration from the scale of traditional Ottoman wooden houses, and references the fact that the neighborhood is known as Odunpazari, which translates to ‘wood market’ in Turkish.

Towada Community Plaza

The series of gables in staggered sizes and angles seen on the exterior of the Towada Community Plaza aims to echo the rooflines of houses in the residential area surrounding it, helping it to blend seamlessly into the neighborhood. Wainscot panels are applied to the facade with spaces in between to add some warmth to the glass walls, and screen sunlight. Inside, undulating wooden floors made of cut and stacked plywood create a topographical playscape.

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Starchitect Spotlight 9 Wooden Wonders By Kengo Kuma Associates

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Filling the Void: 25 Resin-Inlaid Wood Furniture Designs Become Whole Again

SA Rogers — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 17:00:08 +0000

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

When married with clear resin, voids in wood or stone created by years of use, natural burls, intentional damage and even shipworms are made whole again, while leaving their ‘wounds’ visible. Broken furniture is repaired with ghostly additions, splintery snapped boards are made smooth and literally ancient time-worn wood is preserved for posterity like insects caught in amber. The results not only salvage items though to be beyond repair, but also make them feel like museum-worthy artifacts.

Disappearing Furniture: Broken Pieces Healed with Resin

Pieces of furniture that seem broken beyond repair are proven salvageable after all, with their missing pieces seemingly made invisible. Tatiane Freitas created the series ‘My Old New chair’ using translucent acrylic, the new elements matching the scale of the older pieces but not the style. The results intentionally leave the ‘wounds’ of the old furniture visible and highly noticeable, as if the acrylic is a ghost of what once was or a hint at what it could evolve into.

Broken Board Series by Jack Craig

Smashed and reconstituted pine wood gets a whole new purpose – and surface – thanks to Detroit-based industrial designer Jack Craig, who seals them with caramelized resin for his ‘Broken Board Series.’ The splintered ends of the wood are visible through the resin for an interesting textural effect.

Forest Artifacts by Alcarol

Design duo Alcarol creates ‘forest artifacts’ by pairing wood and resin in various designs, from an irregular wooden bench made sharply rectilinear to ‘fisheye stools,’ the latter of which features timber poles salvaged from the foundations of the city of Venice. The poles, the designers explain, were “driven into the lagoon’s caranto layer – a mixture of solid clay and sand situated at great depths. In spite of everything, Venice continues its fight against the muddy ground and ever increasing water levels. Fish Eye, which is sculpted by water, salt, shipworms and time, is a tribute to this epic submarine struggle that has transcended millennia. During their stay in the Laguna, these Oak logs are deeply sculpted by Teredo Navalis, shipworms that leave traces of their passing on the wooden surface producing striking patterns of circular holes, whilst avoiding the inner core of the log, allowing it to maintain its health and strength. This creates a beautiful contrast between other decay and inner robustness.”

MANUFRACT Furniture Inspired by Self-Healing Trees

The MANUFRACT series of furniture by Marcel Dunger mimics the way trees heal themselves by releasing resin into their ‘wounds.’ The hand-crafted furniture is made of broken wood patched with tinted resin in a manner reminiscent of kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing a broken piece of pottery with gold.

VOLIS by Atelier Insolite

The ‘VOLIS’ series by Atelier Insolite embeds objects with resin, including shelves, side tables, coffee tables, consoles and other furniture items. The designers intentionally seek out wood with natural voids and broken-off elements so they can fill in the spaces with blue-tinted resin, giving the finished pieces an oceanic feel.

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Filling The Void 25 Resin Inlaid Wood Stone Furniture Designs

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