Wood panelling for walls, ceilings and other parts of a building is one of the hallmarks of the new Japanese architecture. In fact, wood was already the main construction material in traditional Japanese architecture in response to the humid climate of the country, especially during the summer months. Strong, flexible structures built with poles and wood beams were also highly resistant to typhoons and earthquakes.

Today, technology has already achieved resistant materials and very efficient air conditioning systems, but the use of wood panelling for walls, ceilings and other areas continues with this tradition at the hands of famous architects such as Kengo Kuma or more recent figures the likes of Go Hasegawa. The latter is the protagonist of tis post. Barely 40 years old, Hasegawa, an engineer with a doctorate from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, has shown that wood is still an option as a first-class material to build comfortable, welcoming buildings and spaces.

Here are three good examples:

 

  • Yoshino Cedar House

The proposal of the house of the future developed by the design studio of Airbnb, Samara , together with Hasegawa’s studio.

 

 

 

 

 

Photographs from samara.com

 

  • House in Komazawa

Interesting work with wood, ranging from a rustic facade to an interior that visually connects its two levels through a permeable mezzanine, which allows for the passage of natural light.

 

 

Photograph and video from plataformaarquitectura.cl

 

  • Pilotis in a forest

Weekend house resting on a series of piles that blend in with the trunks of the trees in the forest.

 

 

 

 

Photographs from experimenta.es

 

 

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