Technology and nature make unlikely partners in Kengo Kuma’s latest project – a university campus building used for the research on ubiquitous computing.
July 30th, 2014
Kengo Kuma returns to his love of wood in his latest project – the Daiwa Ubiquitous Computing Research Building in Tokyo, Japan.
According to the studio, “the aim was to break away from the conventional image of campuses that consist of hard materials such as concrete, metal or stone, and to instead design a soft building made with wood and earth”.
No doubt another compelling reason was the stark contrast drawn between the building’s technological focus and the soft, nature-inspired structure used to house its work.
In this project, scale-like panels made of wood as well as earth gently undulate to form a smooth and organic facade.
At the centre of the building is an organ-like aperture covered with soft membrane. It joins the lane in front of the campus and the Japanese garden (part of the university president’s guest house) at the back. The opening also serves to generate a gentle and organic flow of light and wind into the campus, which is otherwise dominated by a strict grid arrangement.
Photos © SS Tokyo unless otherwise stated
Kengo Kuma
Kkaa.co.jp
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Artificial intelligence is one of the defining issues of our time. Here are five ideas articles addressing the anxieties and possibilities of the technology in design.
Milanese artisan Henry Timi celebrates natural materials through strikingly reduced geometric forms, creating a stripped-back vision of interior luxury.