The Project
The project is a modification of Black Teahouse by A1 Studios located in a private garden in Česká Lípa, Czech Republic.The design concept is inspired by Tanizaki’s perspectives found in ‘Praise of Shadows’ and also the natural elements of the site. The idea is to create a ‘symbiotic’ relationship with the surroundings, where the new space generated offers a closer contact with nature. The adaptation is intended for meditation and contemplation. Furthermore, a water element is manipulated aiming to achieve greater harmony, as well as stone bricks placed strategically with vegetation. The concept for the new structure is to emerge from the water and become part of the landscape.
Design Process
Three major moves define the design project. Firstly, the slope of the green roof was inverted so that the rain falls into the lake. However, the water is channeled through the rain chains (which can be seen in the Japanese architecture) and falls in a sequence of fountains, until it reaches the lake. The sound of the water can be relaxing for customers. Secondly, inspired by Tanizanki’s book, the extension of the veranda provides an interesting experience for those who enter. While descending the stairs the user perceives the patterns of shadow and light through the pergola. Lastly, at the end of the stairs, a stone is placed strategically next to the main waterfall for contemplation and meditation.`
“And so it has come to be that the beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows - it has nothing else.”
“Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates.”
Jun’ichirō Tanizaki
Final submission for Representation II 2015.2
