Working with the Swiss based architectural practice Dehli Grolimund, the Umbrella House found a new home on the grounds of Vitra Campus in Germany
In conversation with founders of the architectural practice Dehli Grolimund, Swiss-Norwegian architect Christian Dehli and Swiss architect Andrea Grolimund discuss the challenges, responsibilities and craftsmanship of the reconstruction of Umbrella House on Vitra Campus in Germany.
Japanese architecture through the eyes of Kazuo Shinohara
Born in 1925, Kazuo Shinohara created a structure still studied today. Categorized with Japanese architectures such as Toyo Ito and Kazuyo Sejima, Shinohara is less known to the commercial masses. A student of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, besides his built work, he’s published various theoretical and monographic books such as Residential Architecture, Kazuo Shinohara: 16 Houses and Architectural Theories and Shinohara Kazuo, TOTO among others.
The Umbrella House was originally designed for a family of three; a place for their child to grow up, collecting memories. The essence of the Umbrella House is to be equal to one structure. To bring the space together, all the furniture, art and decor is built in. Removing one piece would take away from the overall house.
From Japan to Vitra Campus
The structure is composed of pine and cypress wood, typical Japanese construction wood and it was dismantled in the summer of 2020. It was collected and transported to Vitra Campus. Reconstruction began little over a year later. To ensure traditional methods of preservation were used, it was in coordination with the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
«We were invited to rebuild the Umbrella House on-site. The house, built in 1961, was in danger of being demolished. We have both worked with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, specifically Yamazaki Lab and Okuyama Lab, so that the Umbrella House can be rebuilt in the way that Shinohara had planned it. We wanted it to be built with the original craftsmanship, materials and ethos in mind».
«The house had to be on a piece of the property that was more private than other buildings. It had to be protected adequately from the surrounding buildings, with a hedge acting as a filter to the factory buildings around. The house was never intended to be a pavilion on a flat lawn, as when you walk towards the property, the roof is highlighted. We’ve done this by lifting the property 70cm so that the approach to the house is the same as a temple, to gaze directly at the roof.»
Honoring the Umbrella House and Kazuo Shinohara
As the house was originally built on a slope in Japan, the appropriate location was needed — something with natural light, built on an unbalanced plot, so that the human eye can see the house as Shinohara saw it.
«There were steps that went into finding the allocation for the Umbrella House on Vitra Campus. How would Shinohara want people to see it? How can it be private? All of these questions were answered in a collaboration with our friends at Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan».
Christian previously had Japanese architectural experience. In 2019 the duo published a book about Shinohara’s work, indicating why the firm was chosen to reconstruct the Umbrella House in Vitra Campus.
«The Umbrella House has architectural value»
«Heritage Houses Trust attempted to find a new owner that could save the house. This was impossible to do in Tokyo as the city is dense and properties are expensive. The Umbrella House has architectural value, meaning and significance in Japanese culture and history».
Built on a fifty-five square meter square, four meters high, with an umbrella shaped roof, its functionalism is within. All elements can be moved around with ease. Rooms are divided either by bamboo screens or sliding doors and they can be removed to open up the space. The materials were effective, economical and accessible. The furniture pieces matched the size of the house, ensuring that nothing felt out of place. At the time of construction, it was not possible to buy mass produced furniture of quality. It took one and a half years to produce the furniture, art and decor. Executed to Shinohara’s specifications, the prints on the sliding doors were done by Setsu Asakura.
Blending Japan into Europe
Family customs in Japanese culture are considered different from those of western nations. Homes that are built are warranted to last decades for future generations to live in. «For western Europeans it seems like a traditional Japanese house — in fact it is not. The pyramid shaped roof is something that was only used for spiritual buildings, such as temples».
«A Japanese house is private, usually nobody is allowed to enter the house — you are only invited. Not many buildings of Kazuo Shinohara early style still exist. It will now be possible in Europe to see Shinohara’s work, amongst other structures. When the Umbrella House was built in 1961 it was a piece of architecture that was a new way of thinking».
Completed over the summer of 2022, guests are now able to visit the Umbrella House.
Vitra Campus
Vitra Campus and Vitra Design Museum harvests the production of buildings, museums, and architectural icons across a vast plot of land with the mission of personal inspiration. The Vitra Design Museum is home to many showcases, design archives and collections, showcasing the future understanding of design and the architectural influence in past, present and future society.
Dehli Grolimund
Founded by Christian Dehli and Andrea Grolimund after both completing their studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. Dehli Grolimund is an architectural firm working on various projects in Zurich, Basel and Tokyo. Together they published Kazuo Shinohara: 3 Houses.
