Water/Glass

Abstract

The design of this small guesthouse, owned by a large company, was influenced by Kuma’s chance encounter with one of the unique results of the German architect Bruno Taut’s activities in Japan. Staying in the country from 1933 until 1936, Taut devoted considerable time to studying Japanese architecture. His discovery and great appreciation of the seventeenth-century Katsura Villa in Kyoto is well noted even today. He particularly praised the way the villa frames nature while being practically one with it. Learning from this example, Taut designed a small house, one of two by him in Japan, which is located adjacent to the site of the Water/Glass project. Kuma’s visit to Taut’s house had a significant influence on formulating his own ideas for the building next door.