Tato Architects / Yo Shimada

Meeting Place in Nishiwaki

Location / Hyogo, Japan
Type / Public Building, Park Administration

When creating a semi-outdoor space, one of the simplest solutions is to use wooden louvers. The width of the louver determine the opening/closing and the interval they are placed regulate the density.
However, in this project I wanted feeling from closed to open to be a smooth transition. Therefore, I experimented with the angle of the louvers, and decided on a system where the louvers are attached with a twist. By attaching the louvers at graduating angles it was possible to create a wall where the louvers start as planks, fully enclosing the space, and smoothly twist to open up the façade.
The louvres are attached from 0° (vertically) and twist 10° per 1 meter. Making them open from 0-60 ° on the 6-meter span, they have. For the louvres the wood type Larch was chosen for its good properties, the serrated supports to which they are attached, by stainless steel screws, are cut from cypress to create a durable and weather resistant facade.
Everything was cut by measure before arriving making the assembly on site very simple and fast.
Wooden louvers allows for a wide variety of expressions, and in this case, I was able to create an elegant three-dimensional façade with many properties relating to light, wind and the visual connection between outside and inside.