Japanese houses 2

Last article I told you about the present situation regarding Japanese houses. This time, I would like to write about the origin of the home-building industry in Japan.

There are 5 or 6 big house production companies in Japan. Many of these companies started in the 1960's. As the 1960's are called the golden 60's,The Japanese economy dramatically grew in this decade and in 1964 we had the first Olympics in Asia

After WWⅡ many people wanted a new world different from before WWⅡ. At that time the American life style was their ideal lifestyle. During the 1950's, people desperately needed to recover form the damage of WWⅡ. There was no room to create the new lifestyle. But 1960's, Everyday life became more steady, many people wanted Modern Luxuries and a new house. I think this is the reason why many house production companies started in the 1960's.

House production companies originated in the 1960's. However, the origins of the home-building industry are older than house production companies. When WWⅡ was finished, there was a shortage of 4,200,000 houses in Japan. At that time, architect Kunio Maekawa designed a house production system named Premos. It was made by only one size of wooden panel. The panel (1m×2.6m×11.1cm) was used for floor, wall and roof. Premos was based on modern lifestyle like America. It was looked like occupation army's house and there were no Japanese tatami mats.

The idea of a factory made Prefabricate house was not Maekawa's original idea. Manyfamous architect had tried to realize the idea. In the beginning of the 20 century, many architects had a dream to change the old society and realize new modern society. They believed workers were the new center player of the new society. So, architects looked for inexpensive modern house. I think, one of the answers were the prefabricate house.

In my everyday job, I can't find any relationship between architectural history and my job. However, home-building industry takes a important role in architectural history and this idea makes my job more meaningful.

Japanese houses 1

My job is in a home-building industry. This time, I would like to write about my job and the present situation regarding Japanese houses.

If you try to get your own detached house in japan, you have 3 choices. A house designed by an architect, a house produced by a big house production company(including my company) or a house built by a local house builder.

For the architect-designed houses, the architect only does the design and he asks some other local house builder to construct it. If you like his design style and can trust him 100%, you can get your ideal house. The cost is up to you.

For the produced house, the company takes care of your house from design to construction. House production companies have their own design teams, production systems, structure systems, transportation systems, and construction systems. So, quality is kept at a very high level. But on the other hand the cost is more expensive than the local built houses. As the production houses are mass produced, there are some limitations on structure and design. A house producter like me is little bit different from an architect. The architect always produces one design for one house, but we produce one system for 10,000 houses. I think, If you really want your own distinct design, the architect house is the best choice.

For the local built house, there are no professional design teams. They decide design through experience and ideas. Compared to the architect house and the produced house, the local builder's house keeps low profile. However, in reality, more than 80% of new houses in Japan are built by local builders

These days, the population of Japan is going down, and people's life styles are changing. Some people want to realize their own ideal house. Because of this, the architect house will never disappear. However the produced house and the local built house must try to accommodate these people in the near future.

Moriyama House

Moriyama House was designed by Ryue Nishizawa in 2005. There are 10 seperated rooms. Mr Moriyama is using 4 rooms, his freind from childhood is useing 1 room and the other 5 rooms are rented.

Mr Nishizawa, in his book, wrote that Transparency and Asunder is the principle of this architecture. And that this house looks very different form ambient enviroment which keeps old downtown residential style, but the idea of openhearted life that uses a garden is common.

In urban area in Japan, many of people make fences around their house to protect their privacy. I think fences makes town scape boring. Each house is completely seperated. There is a little greenery. I don't like today's town scape but on the other hand, I know that fances cannot be avoided in Japan. Because usually the site is very small.

The most surpriseing thing to visit here is that I can easily to look inside the rooms. But there are very interseting space like old downtown residential style. I think, If you decide to live in downtown not in a apartment but in a house, you have to chose fence house or Moriyama house.

I like Moriyama house. But in view of Japanese present situation, Moriyama house is only a particuler solution. Fence houses are the most accepable solution.