Japan 1996Glass / Shadow
We designed a clubhouse for a golf course in the mountains in Gunma Prefecture that is transparent and appears to be floating. A cantilever structure and suspension structure were adopted to give the building the feeling that it was floating. Floor boards with a pre-stressed structure made the 9 meter cantilever possible. Furthermore, by having eaves protrude a large amount over the boundary surface, the shadow cast by the eaves erases the glass membrane itself, creating a feeling that you are floating in a sea of green.
The boundary between the inside and outside does not disappear by simply putting glass on a building. However, by placing that glass in an area in which shadows are cast, the boundary between inside and outside is eliminated. The shadows that are cast by aluminum louvers with varying densities, a “place” that has a variety of brightness levels, is created in the middle of the air.
