ARCHITECTURAL COLLABORATIVE

Summer blog series by Rachel Huff, entering freshman in the UGA College of Environment & Design and participant in Arcollab’s Foundations in Design after school program

Images below and story inspiration from: https://www.dezeen.com/2020/08/27/suzuko-yamada-daita2019-japanese-house-scaffolding/

 

Today I want to look at a house that incorporates biophilic design in order to create a unique and nature invoking presence. The house in question resides in Tokyo, Japan, and was designed by architect Suzuko Yamada. Many biophilic components were used in the design of this house but I want to focus on two: Symbolism of nature and organized complexity.

The house resides in a residential sector of Tokyo. With more traditionally-designed houses surrounding it, the home certainly stands out! The house is encased in permanent scaffolding which allows for perches to tend to the various plants and trees in the yard. At first glance one might assume that the branching scaffolding and abundant greenery is actually a tree. This possible mistake is an example of symbolism of nature. The home resembles a tree which not only looks cool but also brings the house closer to nature.

Another aspect of biophilic design that this house incorporates is the use of organized complexity. The scaffolding surrounding the house draws the eyes in many different directions and yet a clear path can be seen to get through the scaffolding. Creating this complexity while still maintaining order allows for the brain to experience stimulation without getting overwhelmed.

It’s clear that Suzuko Yamada is very proficient in the use of biophilic design. This house in Tokyo is a refuge of the natural world in an urbanized city.

So far I have only shown examples of biophilic design in residential areas so for my next post I am going to explore biophilic design in a corporate office.