Glass Tea House by KATOxVictoria
21/11/2012.
By KATOxVictoria. [VIDEO]
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA, SERGIO CIDONCHA
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA, SERGIO CIDONCHA
This Glass Tea House is thir winning entry for a competition organized by AAF and AGC Studio in Japan in November 2011.The tea house was later constructed as a 1:1 Mock-up in the AGC Studio in Kyobashi, Tokyo where it stood until May 2012. Great! Good project!
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Drawings. Glass Tea House. © KATOxVictoria.
Drawings. Glass Tea House. © KATOxVictoria.
Drawings. Glass Tea House. © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
Glass Tea House, 1:1 scale model. Image courtesy of © KATOxVictoria.
BACKGROUND.
The participants of the competition were asked to propose an idea for 1:1 scale pavilion that could expand the possibilities of glass architecture.
Instead of treating glass as a method the reach transparency or the illusion of “nothingness”, we were searching for a sense of “glass of glass” with this pavilion.
We wanted to capture the fluid and soft yet hard and cold paradox in the nature of glass, as well as its ghostly presence as a transparent and reflective material. Glass only exists by leaning on its surroundings structurally and visually as well. With this “glass of glass” experience we wanted to express glass as a lively existence in nature, a material with a solid surface of moving reflections and bended light.
CONCEPT.
We looked to the spaces in a forrest to find intangible shapes of spaces that could give a structure to the mysterious fluid nature of glass. By framing these forrest voids with glass we found an interesting little house of trees interwoven by curved glass. A pavilion as a spacious glass imprint of the gap between some trees.
TEA CEREMONY.
In March 2012 we experienced the glass pavilion come alive as a tea house. We had arranged for a tea ceremony with tea ceremonial sensei/teacher Senkyo Ogawa.
The pavilion floor area is equal to the size of 2 “tatami” which is the smallest dimension of a traditional tea house.
Before the ceremony Senkyo Ogawa sensei and her daughters inhabited the pavilion with flowers, kakijiku/hanging scrolls, zabuton/pillows and green tea/maccha preparation tools.
For almost 2 hours the tea sensei Senkyo Ogawa conducted 7 tea ceremonies for our visitors, 2 by 2, assisted by her daughters.
The situation opened the many layers of the pavilion. We could enjoy how it is part of city, an exhibition space, a tea room and the movements and emotions of the guests reflected in its surfaces at one glance.
More information
KATO x Victoria
KATOxVictoria is a young creative office founded in 2011 by Hiroshi Kato (1981) and Victoria Diemer Bennetzen (1983). KATOxVictoria is a cross-cultural constellation between a Danish and a Japanese architect exploring the borderlands between design, art and architecture. We are a laboratory that investigates basics typologies and terms and try to reunderstrand our build culture.
Hiroshi Kato and Victoria Diemer Bennetzen met in 2009 in Tokyo where we both worked for japanese architect Sou Fujimoto and in 2011 we moved to Denmark to explore the european design scene.
In the past year we have exhibited in Japan several times, given lectures, arranged workshops at universities and won a Japanese design competition as well as collaborated with Japanese material manufacturers such as AGC (Asahi Glass Company), DaiichiFoam and DOW Japan.
Since we have both lived and worked in Denmark and Japan we find ourselves with one leg in both countries professionally as well as personally. This relation has become the balance and clash that defines our work, a condition where few common references are given, no norms are a matter of course and all misunderstandings are greeted as essential inspiration.
So far our built work has been realized in collaboration with dedicated architecture and arts students, skilled craftsmen, ambitious clients and manufacturers along with visionary contractors. Reality is the very essence of our work, we enjoy when projects develop and qualify as they are realized by hands across profession, experience and skill.
HIROSHI KATO
1981 Born in Tokyo
2000-2004 Musashi Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture
2004-2010 Sou Fujimoto Architects / Chief Designer, Tokyo
2010 Nikken Sekkei Corporation
2010-2011 COBE/Copenhagen
VICTORIA DIEMER BENNETZE
1983 Born in Copenhagen
2003-2009 Aarhus School of Architecture
2009-2010 Sou Fujimoto Architects
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