‘Owl’ chair by h220430; photo by Ellie

Drawing their inspiration from two traditional Japanese art and craft techniques of origami and furoshiki, the Tokyo-based practice h220430 (established on April 30th, Heisei 22, hence the name) has realised this easy-to-assemble children’s chair called ‘Owl’. Made from a single sheet of a lightweight EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), the chair’s straightforward, demountable design aims to ‘help nurture children’s creativity’ while making the chair storage and small-space friendly.

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Karuizawa Museum Complex by Yasui Hideo Atelier; photo by Nacasa & Partners inc

Drawing their inspiration from the traditional Japanese art of paper folding origami, the Tokyo-based practice Yasui Hideo Atelier have designed this recently-completed museum complex in the city of Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture. The deconstructed, multifaceted, 423.51-square-meters two-storey building is supported by a steel structure while its characteristic sharp edges and sky-piercing spikes have been developed in titanium and glass. (more…)