CLOUDSCAPES.
Clouds are important elements of our atmosphere, framing outdoor space and filtering sunlight. They are the visible part of the terrestrial water cycle, carrying water— the source of life—from the oceans to the land. Clouds find balance within stable equilibria and naturally sustain themselves, embodying and releasing solar energy. The ability to touch, feel, and walk through the clouds is a notion drawn from many of our fantasies. Gazing out of aeroplane windows, high above the earth, we often daydream of what it might be like to live in this ethereal world of fluffy vapour.
TRANSSOLAR & Tetsuo Kondo Architects create Cloudscapes where visitors can experience a real cloud from below, within, and above floating in the centre of the Arsenale. Visitors find a path that is akin to the normal experience of walking through a garden. The path winds through Cloudscapes appearing and disappearing. Sometimes people only see other people across the cloud while the path is obscured. The structure consists of a 4.3-meter-high ramp that allows visitors to sit above the cloud. Simply, the structure leans on the existing Arsenale columns. The cloud is always changing so the experience of the path is also dynamic.
Cloudscapes. B. Venice, 2010.© TETSUO KONDO ARCHITECTS.
The cloud is based on the physical phenomenon of saturated air, condensation droplets floating in space and condensation seeds. The atmospheres above and below the cloud have different qualities of light, temperature, and humidity, separating the spaces by a filter effect. The cloud can be touched, and it can be felt as different microclimatic conditions coincide. The scene is set underneath an artificial sky where the cloud can be touched and felt as different micro-climatic conditions coincide and where people are changing the cloud and meeting each other.
Collaboration with TRANSSOLAR / Matthias Schuler
Site.- Venice, ITALY
Structural Engineer.- Mutsuro Sasaki, Yoshiyuki Hiraiwa / SAPS(Sasaki and Partners)
Period.- March 2010 - August 2010
Size.- W12000 x D21400 x H4300
Structure.- steel
Cloudscapes. B. Venice, 2010.© TETSUO KONDO ARCHITECTS.
HOUSE WITH GARDENS.
This is a home built in Yokohama for a couple and their two kids. The site is located on a hill in a quiet residential district.
Neighbouring houses are built up against the lot on both sides but a lush forest spreads to the back while a view down to Yokohama city can be enjoyed to the front. Although the area is quite developed one can still listen to the birds and enjoy the fresh air making this an attractive place to live. The rooms are organized vertically and by mixing exterior spaces into the house, the surrounding can be felt at all times.
Gardens are placed accessible from each room and openings are aimed in various directions so that the view of the sky and forest can be enjoyed even through other rooms. These gardens, or intermediate spaces, not only connect the interior to the exterior spaces but are common spaces for the family.
Although each room is independent, these non-specific areas allow the rooms to extend and mix with each other creating new spaces with each use. It also allows the family to circulate the small house in many different ways.
One could nap while listening to the birds in the forest or open the windows wide without caring about the neighbours in the street. The children could spread out all their toys to play with, or they could have tea surrounded by a flower garden while enjoying the views.
This home with a peculiar pitched roof blends into the building context and maintains various types of relationships with the exterior.
They will create a pleasant lifestyle with the help of the surrounding environment.
Site.- Yokohama, Kanagawa, JAPAN
Structural Engineer.- Yasutaka Konishi / Konishi Structural Engineers
Mechanical Engineer.- Hisakatsu Hemmi / ES Associates
Period.- April 2006 - April 2007
SHINKENCHIKU-SHA, KEN'ICHI SUZUKI
Program.- Private house
Total Floor Area.- 136.90 sqm
Site Area.- 139.02 sqm
Structure.- wood frame, reinforced concrete, 2 stories, 1 basement
