shingo masuda+katsuhisa otsubo + yuta shimada: little hilltop with wind view

'little hilltop with wind view' by shingo masuda+katsuhisa otsubo architects and yuta shimada in shimonoseki city, yamagushi pref, japan
all images courtesy shingo masuda+katsuhisa otsubo architects


tokyo-based practice shingo masuda+katsuhisa otsubo architects has shared with us
images of 'little hilltop with wind view', an 8 meter-tall viewing tower on the hill of
a wind farm in shimonoseki city, japan. a collaborative effort with japanese architect
yuta shimada, the design offers a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape that
highlights other elements of the site such as the wind, flowers and clouds.



exterior views


standing autonomously on site as a white-washed rectangular volume, the tower was
conceived to actively interact with the wind by swaying slightly on its platform.
intensive structural studies were conducted to come up with a support system that
allowed for the desired deformation. the grid frame is constructed from extremely
thin steel rods with horizontally-woven networks, giving enough movement for
a maximum displacement of 150mm to each side. to maintain the tower's light and
flexible body, both the exterior and interior surfaces were clad in panels of 15mm-thick
baked rubber.



approach



interior view



open roof






sitting chair



doorway



in context



steel grid structure during construction



site plan



schematic diagram



structural make-up



structural study


project info:

principal use: viewing tower / landscape
site area: 1000 m2
built area: 4.16 m2
structure: steel
structural design: jun sato structural engineers