DESIGN NAME: The Edge of the Wood
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Udon Restaurant and Shop
INSPIRATION: The Udon restaurant chain, Inami Koro has taken over the challenge of reinventing the traditional Japanese thick noodles dish, Udon, by serving the dish in new ways while still using traditional techniques of making it. The Edge of the Wood design was inspired by this practice and tried to reflect it by revisiting the traditional Japanese wooden frame construction methods. the construction uses common techniques to bring on a new lighter and sharper look to wooden buildings.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Edge of the Wood is a trial to reinvent the Japanese traditional wood frame construction by giving it a fresh look. All contour lines expressing the shape of the building were simplified to create an icon. The roof and ceiling lines were rotated by taking the eaves as axes, glass frame was hidden between the thin wooden pillars and a wooden plank, and the outside walls were made triangular with edges expressed in single line. This creates a light and sharp look for a wooden building.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The two glazed facades face the roads leading to the facility, the west one leads to the parking space and entrance. After entering the building, the client will find two menu tickets vending machines where they can order their meals, they will then continue to the seating and the kitchen counter where they give the tickets and be served. The clients can also purchase local goods from the shop inside, which is additionally served by a secondary entrance.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: Project start: June 2017.
Construction start: December 2017.
Project/Construction End: April 2018.
Location Designed in Himeji City, and constructed in Miki City, Japan.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: This building uses traditional Japanese wooden frame construction methods that are still the most commonly used in japan nowadays. The foundations are made in concrete, the frame is wooden. The exterior walls are finished in Aica Jolypat. The metallic roof is nearly flat, keeping only 3percent of inclination. The glass of the west and south facade is sandwiched between the thin wooden pillars and a plank made of the same wood. The upper and bottom parts are hidden in the ceiling and the floor.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Gross Built Area: 317sqm
W24840mm x D18420mm x H5245mm
TAGS: japan, udon, noodles, restaurant, wood, sharp, white, minimalism, glass, shop, rural
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The researched was focused on developing a new visual identity for wooden building that uses traditional Japanese wooden frame construction methods. How can the same techniques give different results, and how can wood be viewed as a contemporary material? This design explores the possibilities of the conventional construction to produce a much lighter and sharper image by keeping the lines as simple as possible.
CHALLENGE: To construct a new light and sharp image of the wooden construction the lines of the ceiling and roof were rotated by taking the eaves as axes, this creates a lighter roof with only one line visible. the frame holding the glass from four aspects is held in the architecture and looks frameless. The interior spaces are much brighter, and the contour of the building is simpler providing a sharp image and easy understanding of the space and the surfaces. The whole building is turned into an Icon.
ADDED DATE: 2019-02-18 11:42:46
TEAM MEMBERS (2) : Motoaki Takeuchi and Farid Ziani
IMAGE CREDITS: Image #1: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, EOTW, 2018.
Image #2: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, EOTW, 2018.
Image #3: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, EOTW, 2018.
Image #4: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, EOTW, 2018.
Image #5: photographer ©Stirling Elmendorf, EOTW, 2018.
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