all images courtesy makoto azuma
Currently on display in Tokyo is HOUSE VISION 2013, design guru Kenya Hara’s grand initiative to rethink housing by pairing various companies from various industries with architects and designers. The result is a sprawling installation of homes, all of which (except for 1) are built to real life scale.
One of the most radical designs is gokujo no heya (room of exquisiteness) in which Naruse-Inokuma Architects and botanical artist Makoto Azuma worked with toilet maker TOTO and window manufacturer YPP AP to bring to life their ideal bathroom. Elements of greenery, typically found outside, are brought inside to an extreme degree. Plants cover the walls, as well as the floors, which are glass. And yes, they’re all real. How you’re supposed to water them? Well, I’m not exactly sure.
The bathroom is never treated with the same level of attention as other rooms in the house, says the architects, “so we tried envision what a bathroom would look like if all of our resources were devoted to it.”
We’re at a pivotal point, says designer Kenya Hara, who believes that, in order to take control of the 21st century we need to visualize the possibilities presented by new industries. “This isn’t just about housing. The house is merely an arena where different industries can come together.”
House Vision 2013 runs from March 2 to March 24, 2013. General admission is 1,800 yen.
