One Year On: How a trip to Japan influenced our Architecture
How a trip to Japan Influenced Our Architecture:
A year on from our director Blair’s visit to Japan, he reflects on how the architecture, landscape and culture he experienced has influenced our projects over the past twelve months.
If you haven’t already visited Japan, it should certainly be on your list of must see destinations. Blair’s trip lasted just over a week, taking in the vibrant city of Tokyo, the surrounding region and the lower slopes of Mount Fuji, all perfectly timed to coincide with the spectacular spring blossom season, or Sakura, as they are called in Japan.
We’ll explore many of Japan’s cultural and architectural delights in future blogs. In this newsletter, however, we’d like to focus on one aspect that left a lasting impression: Japan’s relationship with water in architecture, and in particular the thoughtful management of rainwater.
Whether in the heart of Tokyo or in the tranquil countryside, many Japanese buildings celebrate rainwater rather than treating it as an afterthought or simply a problem to solve with cheap PVC pipes. The collection, movement and display of water is often integrated into the architecture itself, creating features that are both practical and beautiful.
Below: rain water is allowed to flow down facade and from the roof into a surrounding rill / moat that must be crossed to enter.
This philosophy of highlighting rainfall, has already influenced our own work. At our Broomhill project, for example, a galvanised rain chain flows into a small galvanised planter filled with Scottish river pebbles, before gently feeding the magnificent willow tree that is the heart and soul of our clients’ garden. The tree holds deep personal significance for our client therefore making this a key feature of the design was both meaningful and functional.
Over the past year, our visit to Japan has reinforced these design features and continues to shape several of our current “on the drawings board” projects.
Our Meikle Wartle project, a renovation and extension to a traditional Aberdeenshire granite farmhouse, draws inspiration from both Japanese architecture and garden design.
A carefully compressed entrance sequence creates a sense of arrival reminiscent of some of Japan’s finest architecture, where natural materials and a neutral colour palette, carefully frames views to our clients’ garden and the surrounding Aberdeenshire vista beyond.
To the rear of the original farmhouse and the proposed extension sits a semi-hidden Japanese inspired courtyard garden, where water features, strategic planting and granite stepping stones create a tranquil space for our clients’ to enjoy.
One of our new home projects at Bridge of Gairn, also has similar influences.
A central Japanese acer punctuates the garden space for our client to gather around, be it to barbecue, entertain, or simply enjoy a coffee with a good book and surrounding bird song.
Meanwhile our Treble House project incorporates rain chains inspired by our earlier Broomhill studio project, this time feeding much larger water-retention barrels (reclaimed whiskey barrels) filled with Scottish river pebbles. This will both add to the appearance of the home but also serve a purpose in mitigating the impact of heavy rainfall on the surrounding land.
A conventional rainwater soak-away would take up too much of the sites real estate whilst remaining compliant with regulations, therefore by harvesting and holding water directly at the base of each rain chain, we can regulate the heavy rainfall and prevent the soak-away becoming overwhelmed.
A practical and appealing finishing touch we feel will elevate the project.
This is just one of the many remarkable ideas we encountered while travelling through Japan. We look forward to sharing more of the country’s architectural inspiration with you in future newsletters and, of course, returning one day to discover even more of its landscape, architecture and culture.
Warm regards,
From all @ BWMA