the work of the architectural practice MIKAN .......................................................................................................................................................................
......................... shop .................. competitions .............. education ................ interviews ................... snapshots ................... history .......... contemporary MIKAN
http://www.mikan.jp -- the work of the architectural practice MIKAN, formed in 1995 by kamo kiwako (1962), sogabe masashi (1962), takeuchi masayoshi (1962) and manuel tardits (1959), ranges from private homes to children’s centers, senior citizen residences, and the organization of large-scale live music events. MIKAN’s modus operandi is to approach every structure not only as a unit unto itself but also as a component in the context of its street and neighborhood. through a series of dialogues, they gather input not only from the clients themselves but also from neighbors and potential users. MIKAN is not interested in producing glossy buildings. instead, its architects, concerned about the fate of the danchi (public housing) that had been built in tokyo in the 1950s and is now being demolished because of age and dilapidation. MIKAN developed various ideas for reusing these apartments in the collective housing renewal project they published in 2001. for the past several years the MIKAN group has been concentrating on what it calls portable architecture. KH-2 is a wheeled unit which can be led and moved with a car. when in movement, its roof and floor folded, each unit takes the shape of a cylinder with a diameter of 2,7 meters and a length of 6 meters. when it is still the sides open, with the floor and the roof spreading like eaves. its flexibility of use makes it possible to build a temporary information booth by using one unit, as well as creating a big event space by connecting a whole set of units. KH-2 was actually realized in a factory manufacturing special trailer trucks. a customized car was therefore made possible through a selection of materials, the detailing of the connections and the movable parts. here, with the use of one kitchen counter set type, a server apparatus type, and 4 normal types, an internet-cafe is built combining a total of 6 sets of KH-2. the overall plan based on a ‘U’ shape with a wooden deck added later, help creating a cafe with an opened terrace style. SH2 is a vaulted room realized in polyurethane foam, wrapped in a ‘futon’ compression bag made from vinyl. if air is extracted with a vacuum cleaner, it can be compacted and transported easily anywhere. it swells automatically by opening the bag, and returns to its initial vaulted shape. heat insulation performance is high, since it is soft it does not need any cushion and the inside is quiet and can be processed with a simple cutter blade. ‘ka MIKAN kagu’ is a system for building furnitures (kagu) with two kinds of paper pipes (kamikan) used like the woof of a knitting, to create folded surfaces and volumes. since this system does not need adhesives it is very flexible, enabling variations of size and form by the change of a piece and making re-use possible. --- back to the article --- ------- monthly designboom newsletter ------- ------- ? comments and contact us ? -------	‘KH-2’ wheeled units ‘KH-2’ ‘SH2’ ‘SH2’ compressed ‘ka MIKAN kagu’ ‘ka MIKAN kagu’