Solid Cedar House / Shigeru Ban

© Hiroyuki Hirai

The Solid Cedar House, designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and built with solid cedar, was conceived based on acclaimed modernist architect Mies Van Der Rohe.

Solid Cedar House Technical Information

Designing a house is far more difficult than making an art museum or an office building.

– Shigeru Ban1

Solid Cedar House Photographs
Solid Cedar House / Shigeru Ban

© Hiroyuki Hirai

Solid Cedar House / Shigeru Ban

© Hiroyuki Hirai

Solid Cedar House / Shigeru Ban

© Hiroyuki Hirai

Solid Cedar House / Shigeru Ban

© Hiroyuki Hirai

Wood walls of the Solid Cedar House / Shigeru Ban

© Hiroyuki Hirai

Solid Cedar House

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has, over the past years, conceived several design concepts based on the work of acclaimed modernist architect Mies Van Der Rohe. “Solid cedar house” is located in the Japanese prefecture of Yamanashi and is also part of these ongoing studies. Mies used concrete and brick structure walls to connect the space sequence’s from the interior space to the landscape. Similarly, the wall and the slab in this work (ceiling, roof) cut a wide variety of scenery in every room.

As the name suggests, the ‘Solid Cedar House’ has been constructed using locally sourced wood, with vertical and horizontal planes creating a series of carefully configured living spaces.  The walls in this house frame the scenery and play an essential role in ensuring a sense of seclusion and privacy hiding the neighboring houses and the roads. The most intimate areas of the house are found at the center of the single-story plan.

Designing a house is far more difficult than making an art museum or an office building. With a house you have one particular client whose lifestyle it has to suit. With an office you are dealing with generalities.

So, when architects get famous they tend to stop doing residential projects. There is no money in them, they are difficult and the responsibility is large.

But the kinds of architects I respect — people like Le Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe or Alvar Aalto — continued to make houses their entire lives. It was in their houses that they did their experimentation.

– Shigeru Ban1

Solid Cedar House Plans
Floor Plan of the Solid Cedar House / Shigeru Ban

Floor Plan of the House

Section of the Solid Cedar House by Shigeru Ban

Section of the House

House Image Gallery
About Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban (1957) is a Japanese architect known for his innovative work with paper, mainly recycled cardboard tubes used to quickly and efficiently house disaster victims. The Time magazine profiled him in their projection of 21st-century innovators in the field of architecture and design. In 2014, Ban was named the 37th recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the most prestigious prize in modern architecture. The Jury cited Ban for his innovative use of material and his dedication to humanitarian efforts worldwide, calling him “a committed teacher who is not only a role model for the younger generations but also an inspiration.”

Works of Shigeru Ban

  1. Shigeru Ban for The Japan Times, 2013

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