JA

First publication to cover nearly all of the works of Hiroshi Sambuichi (b.1968). After studying for four years at Tokyo University of Science, Sambuichi established his own office in Hiroshima. The majority of his work has been concentrated around the prefectures of Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. Sambuichi has remarked that to think about architecture is to “consider the details of the earth”. With four distinctive seasons, mountainous terrain, and a narrow geography extending in the north-south direction, Japan is an aggregation of extremely diverse microtopographies and microclimates. His design process involves a detailed year-long survey of the topography and climate of each of his building sites. Projects include his renowned Base Valley, the Running Green Project, the Air House, the Kakuda Dental Clinic, the Sloping North House, the Rokko Shidare Observatory, the Nonoyama Orthodontic Clinic, the Inujima Art project and more.

JA81 is a special issue on Hiroshi Sambuichi, one of the most inventive architects in contemporary Japan. With the accurate reading of topography and climate of the site, Sambuichi creates an architecture integrated with environment, through understanding air and water as moving materials, and composing them with nonmoving materials such as steel and timber.
As the first collection on Sambuichi's works, this issue includes his early projects such as RUNNING GREEN PROJECT and AIR HOUSE and most recent ones INUJIMA ART PROJECT SEIRENSHO, ROKKO SHIDARE OBSERVATORY and MIWA-GAMA (FUSO-AN).

ESSAY
THE EARTH'S DETAILS
READING MOVING MATERIALS
FORM AND APPEARANCE OF ARCHITECTURE

WORKS
MIWA-GAMA (FUSO-AN)
ROKKO SHIDARE OBSERVATORY
MIYAJIMA OFFICE
ENERGY PENTHOUSE
WOOD EGG
NONOYAMA ORTHODONTIC CLINIC
INUJIMA ART PROJECT SEIRENSHO
BASE VALLEY
PROJECT WEST
SUN HOUSE
BROOD
STONE HOUSE
FARMER'S HOUSE
KAKUDA DENTAL CLINIC
SLOPING NORTH HOUSE
MIWA-GAMA
ANCORA
CLINIC
TERRACE HOUSE
LESS
AIR HOUSE
CASE STUDY HOUSE
RUNNING GREEN PROJECT