Comments on: SHIGERU BAN CURTAIN WALL HOUSE

By: xinni

xinni — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:37:48 +0000

can somebody compare application of Le Corbusier’s ‘five points towards a new architecture’ in Villa Savoye and its application of these points with shigeru ban’s curtain wall house? any similiarities and differences?

By: juzakid

juzakid — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:12:16 +0000

good design..but what the connection between the curtain and the green design?? would it be need extra money to wash the fabric

By: stace

stace — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:06:35 +0000

hi there, after thoroughly reading the article about the \’curtain wall house\’ and the comments people have left, I am astonished at hw many people have been so blind to such an innovative and refreshing design! I have only come across Shigeru Ban in the last few weeks or so (as naive as that sounds, I am studying interior design and so still learning about architects an artists.) after visiting an exhibition called \’Skin and Bones, Parallel practices in Fashion and Architecture\’. To give you a quick explanation; it is about the relationship between fashion and architecture and how they have echoed each other in form and appearance. It also demonstrates how architects are adapting to strategies commonly used in dressmaking, such as folding, draping, weaving etc. I was very impressed by the overall exhibition and could see the similarities. (if any of you are interested, simply enter the title of the exhibition into a search engine).
I am going off the point. I was inspired by Bans design and have since been on his website and checked other housing. From looking at his work I have the understanding that he likes to create a sense of freedom yet with an element of safety and warmth. He has demonstrated this on the Curtain wall house. I hope you guys can see that. Why does a house have to look like all the rest? Who says you cant have your curtains on the outside of your house. I love it and I think the concept is brilliant, I like the fact on a windy day the curtain could be tied down, let loose or simply tied back, Or on a sunny day you can completely open your house to the outdoors, or open all curtains and let the sunshine beam in, or let the rain pitter patter. Its all about choice and adapting to different environments!!!
I would really be interested in seeing what it looks like now!!!

stace

By: ArchitectsAnswer

ArchitectsAnswer — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:35:16 +0000

There seems to be a lot of questioning on the technical characteristics of this design and although not entirely misguided, I would have to say that they are not very well founded. As architects, we have to prescribe to building codes that involve everything from safety criteria such as fire and burglary to structural concerns and to environmental aspects such as weather protection and efficiency. There is no practicing architect that would purposely jeopardize their professional career by simply not thinking about these very basic concerns. Do dont worry, everything has been thought of to the ability of the architect and Shigeru Ban has more than proven his competency. Keep in mind that the clients are probably very wealthy so much attention has been paid to providing the best and strongest materials for every category. Those are not back porch sliding windows and that is not indoor curtain material…both of those by themselves are probably worth more than many people’s homes and definitely more than their car! (sad but true…)

By: Dustin

Dustin — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:47:43 +0000

The house only uses curtains as a device to control the level of privacy indoors. the house is much like phillip johnson’s glass house, in that it is completely surrounded in glass facade. However, Johnson’s glass house is completely free of any overhand blocking sun or stopping passive solar heat gain..Shigeru pulled out the overhangs to enclose an outdoor terrace, but at the same time it completely protects the glass curtainwall from passive solar. That is how it is green. It may be made of glass, but it is operable glass that never receives direct sunlight. You have to think of the system of curtains and glass as a system, each element is there for a specific reason.

By: Ana

Ana — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:45:04 +0000

The only problem I have with this is the surroundings, but that’s simply because I envision something as amazing as this particular house on a green, grassy hill.
A lot of you have mentioned worries like rain, wind and fire hazard… That’s being incredibly naïve. The curtains can clearly be hidden away when they’re pulled back – so rain and wind won’t be a problem anymore – and there’re a lot of materials that have are a fire retardant treatment – the curtain doesn’t even have to be made of cloth (think outside the box for a moment…). If the glass is tinted or reflective it will give people the privacy they need when the rain or wind require the curtain to be pulled back. The concept of the curtain was for a visual effect as well as the ultimate eco-friendly cooling device, it was never designed to be a wall and none ever said you couldn’t set up some curtains on the inside (though it would ruin the purpose of the exterior curtain if you did)– it’s more than obvious the architect thought this over carefully. The house and the concept work, but as in all art, architecture is a question of taste.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:46:56 +0000

Fire hazard… ’nuff said.

By: Panda

Panda — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:51:45 +0000

This is pretty much awesome. During the day you can leave open the curtains and glass walls, and enjoy the fresh air. And during the night you can close them. Shigeru Ban is a smart person, I’m sure he thought of everything. I wonder how much it costs not only to buy the house, but for airconditioning. If your house is half open often, would you turn off the A/C?

By: fenomanalogy

fenomanalogy — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:57:13 +0000

I think I read somewhere that the clients for this house have lived on this site for many years—it’s actually an inherited family property. Given the deep roots of the family on this corner, perhaps the extreme open quality of the house expresses a closeness between the family and neighbourhood, along with all the other reasons mentioned for the large curtains. There is a certain intimacy between the open plan and the narrow streets. That might help to explain why the clients would build this design in the first place.

I always thought this was a lovely house. Not everyone could live in it, for sure, but it’s a spectacular idea and elegantly executed.

By: Paul Morra

Paul Morra — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:53:44 +0000

Jill

Sorry you feel dissed. As indicated in my original post I’m a big fan of his work. I’ve always liked this project and merely asked “why show it now”, as I was curious if there was new info regarding the project.

Also, with regards to people not fully understanding or reading the articles before posting – that seems to happen all the time here.
There was an article a week or so ago re. a wind powered skyscraper, with rotating floors within which the writer commented that one would expect to see this in Dubai, but was in fact being proposed for Chicago.
Nearly every comment was negative and many referencing the project being built in Dubai, which if you read the article it clearly wasn’t.
I for one don’t want to be spoon fed facts so please don’t consider that an option when writing future articles.

You love the project, as many of us do also. Unfortunately the first comments were negative, it happens.
Please continue the good work.

PaulS

“Do any of them call for Shigeru Ban architects (and other architects who design grand spaces) to design housing that might be more affordable to more Japanese?”

Ban doesn’t just design “grand” spaces.
Ban has done extensive work with disaster relief / emergency shelter housing.
I believe he began with a paper tybe prototype shelter which was used during the earthquake in Kobe in ‘94, and if I’m not mistaken he’s furthered the concept and has implimented emergency shelters during many such unfortunate circumstances since then, all over the world.

By: mark

mark — Sat, 26 May 2007 12:05:31 +0000

the comments are 10 times longer than the post. Shigeru Ban- a lot of his work would be difficult to live in. Typhoons are a big problem in Tokyo- I know i live on the 8th floor and even with glass doors we get rain inside sometimes. Lucky this house is concrete because with huge sails you would be asking for trouble. We have shoji screens just inside the glass doors to block excessive sun and create a barrier from wheather. In ramen and other shops store owners use a similar sytem to block sunlight from entering the shop. They tie bolders to the bottoms of the curtains. If you have spent any time in Japan you would understand his design. I don’t know if it is all that creative to me. He just took a familiar material in Japan- concrete (used a lot by Ando) and Japanese traditional elements and made it bigger. I did a similar set up at my wedding with Tafuda- to hide some of the unsightly elements of the property and slanted them outward away from the glass doors. We then filled the space under them with paper flowers hand made by friends and family. That way they were able to get to know each other while making them.

By: royalestel

royalestel — Fri, 25 May 2007 21:30:57 +0000

touchy touchy

By: Nick Simpson

Nick Simpson — Fri, 25 May 2007 14:22:59 +0000

Ah well it doesn’t really matter. You guys that side of the pond do seem a bit tetchy though, something in the weather? Anyway, let’s all move on, we’re all pulling in a similar direction here after all

By: Richie

Richie — Fri, 25 May 2007 13:25:31 +0000

Nick Simpson’s post refers to a ‘glass curtain wall’. Well that isn’t so. The glass walls used in this design are single storey sliding glass walls that possibly reference ‘Shoji & Sudara screen and fusuma doors’, as Emily’s writing indicates. There’s obviously been a lot of confusion about these glass walls. My earlier post indicated that I thought that the glass walls were 2 stories tall and therefore required motors to move them. Silly me ! The exploded diagram that appears when you click on highlighted phrase ‘the curtain wall house’ , reveals that each floor has its own set of siding glass walls. (in white epoxy coated metal frames, I’d imagine ?)

Emily’s article mentions that there are glass walls. However, in the sentence immediatelty following that mention (#3, para 2), she possibly confuses the issue by saying: “The curtain as architectural element refers back to traditional Japanese design elements such as shoji and Sudare screens, and fusuma doors common with the traditional Japanese house’

If Emily would have said: “The Curtain AND the interior sliding glass walls (not shown) BOTH refer back to traditional Japanese design elements such as shoiji and sudare screens, and fusuma doors common with the traditional Japanese house.”… maybe all this confusion could have been avoided ? Inhabitat is a great blog. Please keep up the great work !

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 25 May 2007 00:29:44 +0000

Nick, believe me, that thought had occurred to me!

Maybe I should have written “It has become apparent as a result of reading some of the comments written by the less-informed (ie less spoon-fed), that some of us need to be spoon-fed!”

I’m glad I’m not a writer, that’s all I can say.