Slider

Science

SCITECH

AMAZING FACTS

NATURE SPACE

Psychology

A FULLY TRANSPARENT HOUSE IN TOKYO, JAPAN


A FULLY TRANSPARENT HOUSE IN TOKYO, JAPAN 

House NA by Sou Fujimoto Architects is one of the most unique house designs i've shared till date. Located on a small side street in a very lively and ‘hip’ part of Tokyo, the 914 sq-ft (85 sq-m) house is made up of 21 individual ‘floor plates’ each ranging from 21-81 sq-ft (1.95 – 7.5 sq-m).
The extreme openness of the design was at the request of the clients, a young couple with no children. The structure consists of 1-inch-thick, corrugated-steel deck plates plus solid 1.4-by-2.4-inch rectangular beams and 2-inch-square columns—all assembled on-site with welded joints. Curtains were installed to provide temporary partitions that address the concern for privacy and separation at night.


“The intriguing point of a tree is that these places are not hermetically isolated but are connected to one another in its unique relativity. To hear one’s voice from across and above, hopping over to another branch, a discussion taking place across branches by members from separate branches. These are some of the moments of richness encountered through such spatially dense living,” says Sou Fujimoto.


Architect: Sou Fujimoto Architects

Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge, Kobe, Japan



Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge, Kobe, Japan

One of Japan’s greatest pieces of engineering, this bridge holds the record for bring the longest suspension bridge in the world with a total length of 3,911 m. It would take four Brooklyn Bridges to span the same distance. Opening in 1998, it took 12 years to build and it links the city of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture to Iwaya in the Awaji Island. 

Funnily enough it was never built with the intention of being the longest suspension bridge in the world but in 1995 the Kobe Earthquake hit halfway during it’s construction and consequently added an extra 3 ft which gave the bridge its record. The length of the cables used in the bridge totals 300,000 km. That’s enough to circle the earth 7.5 times.

Top