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2014 Pritzker Laureate Shigeru Ban crafted a contemporary dwelling in Yamanashi, Japan, that channels the spirit of one of Mies van der Rohe’s greatest works. Solid Cedar House comprises a series of projecting partitions and floating planes that are reminiscent of the iconic Barcelona Pavilion, employing Ludwig’s principles of space, light and views — but with a very different material palette.
Solid Cedar House by Shigeru Ban, Yamanashi, Japan; via Designboom
Echoing the classic Miesian composition, Ban’s design is defined by a huge flat roof that appears to hover over the open-plan living spaces, lending the house a low profile with an emphasis on views of the surrounding countryside. A series of walls projects past the edge of the canopy and into the landscape, connecting the building with its context while simultaneously offering residents a greater sense of privacy.
For comparison: Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, Spain; via Mies van der Rohe Foundation
Solid Cedar House by Shigeru Ban, Yamanashi, Japan; via Designboom
For all their parallels, Ban’s building markedly differentiates itself from Mies’ seminal work through its primary material. The house in Yamanashi is constructed almost entirely from locally sourced cedar wood. In contrast to the Barcelona Pavilion’s cool palette of travertine and marble, Ban’s dwelling possesses a rich, warm aesthetic, each surface subtly patterned with the knots and gnarls of solid timber.
For comparison: Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, Spain; via Mies van der Rohe Foundation
Solid Cedar House by Shigeru Ban, Yamanashi, Japan; via Designboom
The house marks a departure from the larger-scale timber projects recently delivered by Ban, including the Aspen Art Museum — completed in 2014 — and the Oita Prefectural Art Museum, which opened to the public last summer. “Designing a house is far more difficult than making an art museum or an office building,” the architect told The Japan Times in 2013.
For comparison: Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van Der Rohe, Barcelona, Spain (rendering); via Carainstal
Solid Cedar House by Shigeru Ban, Yamanashi, Japan; via Designboom
“With a house, you have one particular client whose lifestyle it has to suit. With an office, you are dealing with generalities,” he explained. “When architects get famous, they tend to stop doing residential projects. There is no money in them, they are difficult and the responsibility is large. The kinds of architects I respect — people like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe or Alvar Aalto — continued to make houses their entire lives. It was in their houses that they did their experimentation.”
For more projects by one of Japan’s most prestigious living architects, explore Shigeru Ban’s firm profile.
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