Master Craftsmen

June 15, 2011

Master Craftsmen

Choose from a dream team of architects to build your ideal home

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Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2011

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Click image to enlarge

How would you like to pick from nine leading architects to decide who builds your house? That’s how it works at Asentia. The two who best fit your needs then compete to win your final approval. Here’s a taste of the characters on offer.

Tatsuya Yamada, who has divided his career between Japan and Europe, believes in buildings that improve with age. Influenced by European architecture, he comments on how “we are overwhelmed by the distinctive character in buildings that have carved history.” Rather than spend money on materials, he prefers to “spend time and think about the floor plans, and then which materials to use.”

One of Yamada’s contracts involved discussions on the urban heat of Tokyo. The idea was to grow grass on top of the house (pictured, top). They rented a rice field to grow native grass, which was then transplanted up top. In summer, green grass covers the roof, while in the fall this is replaced by Japanese pampas grass. In the winter it becomes brown, like a thatched roof—only to sprout again in spring.

“From the perspective of a woman, I like to design simple, easy-to-use kitchens and bathrooms for the everyday routine,” says Naoko Takahashi, who studied in Zurich as well as in Tokyo University. Takahashi likes to work on sustainable housing and ergonomic facilities to make life simpler all round. She tells Metropolis about a two-story house she built in Setagaya-ku (pictured, center and bottom). A client keen on a built-in garage required the devising of a large living space on a limited plot of land. “By utilizing a loft and open ceiling,” explains Takahashi, “we made it possible to create an open-air internal space which feels larger than it is.”

Hiroshi Fukuda of PIIA Architects recalled seeing a construction site when he was in elementary school. The way the team was working on it inspired him then and there to become an architect. Since then, he has worked in both Finland and Japan and likes to focus on the “blue water and green forests that give comfort to our lives.”

These are just some of the top-level creative professionals that Asentia offers to those keen on building their dream dwelling in Japan. The beauty is to discover who is right for you. Get in touch for a consultation in English.