ar_august_2004_endo.pdf
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77 | 10 In the last few years, Shuhei Endo’s experiments with galvanized corrugated steel have become world-renowned. He realized that the very cheap material, commonly used only in industrial and agricultural buildings, could have many more applications when its stiffness is increased by bending and curving it at right angles to the corrugations. Buildings like the bicycle sheds at Sakai railway station (AR April 1997) and the little building in the park in Hyogo Prefecture (AR October 1998) resulted, showing how corrugated metal could suddenly become an impressive substance, adopting new and dramatic forms that can enclose flowing silvery spaces. The new house and studio in a suburb of Biwa-cho in the Shiga Prefecture takes the development rather further than earlier experiments. It is fundamentally a single continuous strip of corrugated metal bent to enclose all the internal spaces of the building, and some of the external ones too. The wide metal ribbon slides and writhes sideways, east to west, in flattened coils starting with the garage, then defining a partly covered outside platform, thereafter soaring up to make a double-height gallery, descending to kiss a pool and finally returning to the ground to define the bedroom. The spaces it defines are pinned and connected by a long axial route that runs westward from the main entrance and garage through the double- height space, past a comparatively conventional terrace (which is defined to the west by the glazed wall of the poolside kitchen/dining room) and ending with the bedroom in the south-west corner of the site. The metal ribbon is not pierced, so all daylight comes from glazing on the east and west flanks. By setting the entrance back from the access road on the east side of the site behind the garage and the metal terrace, the house is ensured a good deal of privacy, which is enhanced by the imperforate metal walls that prevent overlooking from close neighbours on the tight suburban ATELIER AND HOUSE, BIWA- CHO, SHIGA PREFECTURE, JAPAN ARCHITECT SHUHEI ENDO Curvaceous corrugated Endo continues his exploration of bent corrugated metal in a domestic application. site plan ar house 1 From pool with kitchen/dining room in foreground. Endo manages to achieve a wide variety of space in a tight site. 1
Transcript of ar_august_2004_endo.pdf
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In the last few years, ShuheiEndo’s experiments withgalvanized corrugated steel havebecome world-renowned. Herealized that the very cheapmaterial, commonly used only inindustrial and agriculturalbuildings, could have many moreapplications when its stiffness isincreased by bending and curvingit at right angles to thecorrugations. Buildings like thebicycle sheds at Sakai railwaystation (AR April 1997) and thelittle building in the park in HyogoPrefecture (AR October 1998)resulted, showing how corrugated
metal could suddenly become animpressive substance, adoptingnew and dramatic forms that canenclose flowing silvery spaces.
The new house and studio in asuburb of Biwa-cho in the ShigaPrefecture takes the developmentrather further than earlierexperiments. It is fundamentally asingle continuous strip ofcorrugated metal bent to encloseall the internal spaces of thebuilding, and some of the externalones too. The wide metal ribbonslides and writhes sideways, eastto west, in flattened coils startingwith the garage, then defining apartly covered outside platform,thereafter soaring up to make adouble-height gallery, descendingto kiss a pool and finally returningto the ground to define thebedroom. The spaces it defines
are pinned and connected by along axial route that runswestward from the main entranceand garage through the double-height space, past a comparativelyconventional terrace (which isdefined to the west by the glazedwall of the poolside kitchen/diningroom) and ending with thebedroom in the south-westcorner of the site.
The metal ribbon is not pierced,so all daylight comes from glazingon the east and west flanks. Bysetting the entrance back from theaccess road on the east side of thesite behind the garage and themetal terrace, the house isensured a good deal of privacy,which is enhanced by theimperforate metal walls thatprevent overlooking from closeneighbours on the tight suburban
ATELIER AND HOUSE, BIWA-CHO, SHIGA PREFECTURE,JAPAN
ARCHITECT
SHUHEI ENDO
Curvaceous corrugatedEndo continues his exploration of bent corrugated metal in a domestic application.
site plan
ar
ho
use
1From pool with kitchen/dining room inforeground. Endo manages to achieve awide variety of space in a tight site. 1
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section A-A
ground floor (scale 1:200)
1 entrance2 garage3 metal terrace4 gallery5 north terrace6 rest room7 bedroom8 bath9 kitchen/dining
10 pool11 lawn
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ATELIER AND HOUSE, BIWA-CHO,SHIGA PREFECTURE, JAPAN
ARCHITECT
SHUHEI ENDO
2North terrace.3 Compressed kitchen/dining room.4Garage and entrance with metalterrace left. Colour and texture ofgalvanized steel relate to traditionalgrey tiles on neighbouring houses.5Junctions of flowing steel and moreorthodox elements are not alwayseasy.
sites to north and south. Ingenuity of composition andconstruction is undoubted, butthe adaptation of what Endo calls‘Springtecture’ to domesticarchitecture involves severalproblems: thermal and acousticones are obvious. And there arealso difficulties in relating thebasically orthogonal geometry ofrooms to the writhings of thesteel. Partitions are made inorthodox brick, and in glassframed in steel and timber.Particularly acute problems occurwhere walls meet the roof curvesand special pieces have to be madeto achieve the junctions.
Yet such difficulties have provedsoluble, if at a price. Springtectureis clearly coiling itself for furtherleaps. VERONICA PEASE
ArchitectShuhei EndoPhotographsYoshiharu Matsumura
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