"Fusionner 3.0 - Air House"

Thin and pure white layers of papers are floating fluidly in the air. At the front, there is a small entrance shaped like a gable roof. When you go inside by squeezing in, you can slowly notice a silhouette of a house, which seems to change its size continuously. A space like a hideout spreads. As you come closer to the back, the silhouette of gable roof gets smaller until it finally ends as a small window. The experience feels like the air, spreading inside, where you can discover models hidden between the papers. It is a place to gather, discuss, to enjoy the moment and even lay down. You will feel by chance what is happening outside of the Air House by communicating through the windows and cracks of the house.

Design Challenges:
The three dimensional curved surface was created by connecting two dimensionally sliced paper layers with consideration of the actuality. Translucent paper is suspended from the ceiling in order to control the shadow based on transmission of light to make an open floor with the feeling there is no weight to the space.

Design Results:
During daytime, pure white paper absorbs the natural light, emitting a soft tone that wraps around people and activities taking place in the space. Serving as a guide, one can get a glimpse of the cityscape from the glass seen through holes and slits between papers. When it gets dark, the glass slowly begins to reflect inwards, casting the liveliness inside the restaurant. Curves and layers of soft paper cast shadows as if inside the deep ocean.

The paper that looks like Japanese paper is made from French paper with a glass fiber and has been certified as flameproof in Japan. It is highly versatile and can be used to design various spaces. It is also recyclable.

"Fusionner 3.0 - Air House" by KOTARO HORIUCHI in Japan won the WA Award Cycle 36. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.