art, somewhere in between New York and Tokyo

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Katsuhiro Miyamoto Architects recently completed their latest residential project, Bird House. These pictures are from the open house that was held back in April.

The home sits on a sloping site and is comprised of 3 bird-house-like rooms that are connected by ramps. The architectural feat must have been a bureaucratic nightmare. I have no idea how they got the city of Nagoya to sign off on this project but I’m certainly glad they did because it is astonishing.

I thought it was very clever how the ramp mimics the road passing in front and behind the house.

Via Jutaku Tokushu (7/2010 issue)

We wrote about the gold prize yesterday, but the 2010 JCD Design Award top prize went to the Kyoto-based capsule hotel 9h. Congratulations to Fumie Shibata (creative direction and product design), Masaaki Hiromura (graphic design) and Takaaki Nakamura (interior design)!

Spoon & Tamago profiled 9h back in March. You can read the post here.

We’ve just received word that GENETO has been awarded a gold in the 2010 JCD Design Awards for their work, Tanada Piece Gallery. Located in Kyotanabe City, Kyoto (Google Map) the gallery was designed to emulate the terraced rice paddies that begin to take shape as you travel by train to arrive at the modest town.

The clients – two retired schoolteachers – wanted to create a multifunctional space where families and children could come and enjoy art, chat, play and generally just enjoy themselves. The designers came up with the idea of various “scenes” that would allow for the different activities and the result is a revolutionary space for viewing art.

I think having art on the floors, at the same level as the viewer, is simply a fantastic way to gets kids and adults interested in art. It’s hard to get anyone excited about art if you hang it on a wall, several feet above their head, forcing them to strain their neck at something that is flaunting its importance.

The JCD (Japan Commercial Environment Designers Association) Design Awards are given to designers, and their work, who particularly excel in the field of interior design and commercial space design

Some winners for the 2009 JCD Design Awards include Yamakoya by Ben Nagaoka, Blossom and Atmosphere by Ryuji Nakamura, Spitzen weben by Chuo Architects and Mori x Haco by UID Archtects.

Ichiro Katami of Kata Inc. – one of the masterminds whose designs ignited the café boom in Tokyo – has completed his latest project. What can only be an homage to the great Mexican painter Diego Rivera, Diego by the River (Google Map) opened in Enoshima on May 1st.

It’s situated at the mouth of Sagami Bay and overlooks the water, as well as Enoshima. Bring your doggy because the stylish café has a pet-friendly terrace.

Related:

• Public Diner by Ichiro Katami

Speaking of Jamo Associates, one of the pair of designers, Chinatsu Kambayashi, has attempted her first product design. Bottle Candle (PDF) is, as you may have guessed, quite simply, a candle shaped like a bottle.

Back in 2008, Kambayashi curated a pop-up shop within The Globe, an antique shop based in Tokyo. The Bottle Candle is a collaboration between The Globe and an extension of this project, which ran with the theme, no antiques, no life.

Mark, Carol, Ann, Susan, Fabio and Margaret are available at Cibone and range from between 1,365 yen – 7,140 yen.

All images by kozo takayama | click to enlarge

Last summer the multifaceted indie fashion retailer Opening Ceremony opened their Tokyo flagship store to much acclaim. Their first venture outside the US was anything but modest – an 8-level “mini mall” in the middle of Shibuya.  And Jamo Associates – the go-to-guys for store design in Japan – have finally uploaded official pictures of their work.

The verdict? If flamingos, lamas, floating chairs and florescent mannequins are your thing, go now. If you like walking through IKEA’s showroom, go now. And if you haven’t been there yet, go now. This is a freakin fashion amusement park; a must-see especially if you are interested in store/window display design.

By the way, this exhaustive set of pictures are in hierarchical order – from FL 1 to FL 8.

Related:

• Jamo Associates

Hisae Igarashi of Igarashi Design has designed a series of eco-friendly furniture made from laminated wood. The unique process enables distorted ovals  and other odd shapes to take effect, as well as an intentional gradation of shades.

I especially love the shape of that table and how, depending on where you sit, you can either be closer or farther away from your partner. The furniture was all produced in Japan by the artisans at Hida Industries.

The collection also utilizes all the imperfections such as knots, instead of tossing them as scraps. The roughness – much like the crisp crust of a baguette – is simply what wooden furniture was meant to feel like in its natural form.

Back in April Naito Architects completed a new addition to Wako University located in Machida, Tokyo. Building E arrived just in time to accommodate the start of a new school year.

The design is one that complements the free-thinking culture of the school, a uniqueness lacking in so many educational institutions in Japan. I know this because my wife went to Wako High School, also in Machida. And it is evident, by the epic  stories she tells, that this is a school like no other in Japan.

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16A Architects recently designed a new bar called Tsumamiya. It’s a cozy little izakaya that combines 2 of my favorite things eating/drinking and reading. The store is lined with bookshelves with all sorts of books to keep you company while you eat. You can put them back when you are done, or, if you feel the inclination to, you are welcome to purchase any of the books when you pay for your meal.

The door to the bathroom is even a sliding bookshelf so you can browse while you wait. And yes, the bathroom is certainly equipped with reading material, which is kind of gross if you ask me.

Tsumamiya 7.14
Suzuki Bldg 1st FL
Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya

Related:

• SQY Complex by 16A
• Free style candle by 16A

Architect Akihisa Hirata’s latest work is currently on display at the Taka Ishii Gallery in Kyoto. “Tangle Table” is part of a joint-exhibition with Shimurabros, the sister-brother artist duo that is Yuka and Kentaro Shimura. The multimedia exhibition titled “6/1” was “designed as an experiment to explore the unknown potentialities born from bringing together concepts from both architecture and film.”

Related:

• One Roof Apartment by Akihisa Hirata
• ienoie by Akihisa Hirata
• Akihisa Hirata