Genki Dental Clinic

Kagawa, Japan

Photo © atelier NAVE

Photo © Toshihiro Misaki

Clinics

Architects: Tadashi Saito + atelier NAVE

Year: 2015

Primarily, a Japanese wooden building was clear and transparency because Japanese building was settled by shoji and fusuma (Japanese sliding door) and which has almost no walls. However, architecture with a lot of walls has become proper after the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Little windows are just open on a wall in most general housings, and there is no feeling of clear and transparency now. The feeling of clear and transparency which were excellent points of wooden architecture has been lost to secure privacy and earthquake resistance. In this project, walls were arranged by minimum required and keep the feeling of clear and transparency. Then, those were wrapped by outer wall like a roll cake. I succeeded to make this architecture into a wooden building which has both of privacy and transparency at the same time.

There is also contrivance in the outer wall like a roll cake. The wall of garvanised stealseats composed in 4 colors – silver gray, sand silver, white and lime. Lime stands out in sunny day, silver gray stood out in day of cloudy and rain and all colors becomes orange in sunset…! Outside walls separately lined on 4 colors and it produces unique expression.