Philadelphia's Japanese House

Since 1958, Philadelphia's Fairmount Park has been home to a beautiful example of traditional Japanese Architecture. Built in Japan in 1953, Shofuso, or "Pine Breeze Villa," was a courtyard exhibit for the New York Museum of Modern Art for five years before moving to its present home.

Recently, I visited this site and recorded some observations in the following photographs. My biggest take-aways:

• The Architecture is very innovative yet consistent: Many elements are practical and simple solutions and yet they also compliment the entire site aesthetically. There are no sudden changes or departures from the overall style of the building or landscape.
• The building and landscape compliment each other: This is accomplished by blurring the boundaries between exterior and interior space, using curved surfaces, and transitional spaces.
• Using a limited number of natural materials, all the needs of the space are met. These materials include: Stone, wood, bamboo, and thatch.  

Like many Architectural spaces, the complete experience of walking through this site can not be captured on screen. Therefore, I highly recommend visiting Shofuso on your own.

Site

North

EastWest

South

The Site consists of the entrance to the north, the main complex in the center, a smaller tea house and bath house adjoined to the East, and a large water feature to the West.



Entrance

The entrance path winds around on a curve. Interesting to note:

(Right) The rock foundation of the exterior wall follows the edge of the retaining wall.

(Left) The stone path is separated from the wall by gravel, edger stones, and grass, and it is accented by a specially placed natural stone. The tall bush on the other side mirrors the profile of the wall, creating a balanced space. 

Floor and Foundation

Note the transition between the different levels of large rocks, plants, gravel, foundation stones, and short pilings holding up the floor and columns of the building.

This is a great example of nail-less wooden joints in the exterior floor.

 Different levels of the floor have different textures. This portion of the floor forms a lower porch from the adjoining tatami mat floor. The grooves may help shed water, but they are also a beautiful way to transition between the external and internal space around the building.

Interior Details

Doors 

Here is an example of  a sliding interior door. Note that the rice paper covers the upper portion of the door. There is a simple thumb hole to move the door.  





I was surprised to learn that this is how the sliding doors are held in place and move. The tops and bottoms of the doors are held in place by a simple wood channel carved into the frame. The cut in the top of the door is only made on one side.

Rooms & Details

Bathtub

The wood bathtub above has some interesting features. The spread out panels surrounding the tub provide drainage for water that splashes outside the tub. The wall next to the tub has movable slats that can be opened or closed - both providing ventilation and privacy for the bather.

Kitchen

The kitchen space opposite this shelf is at ground level and the floor is made of earth (most likely for fire protection). What I found most interesting was the simplicity of these shelves for storing kitchen utensils and other objects.

Walls:



 I was surprised to see this basket weave in the walls of the tea house. The texture is a soothing decoration not found anywhere else in the building.

Ventilation:

This vent provides exterior ventilation for some of the main building.

 This lattice work (above head height) serves as ventilation between interior rooms.

Roof

I was struck by how beautiful the curve of the roof line is and how well it fits aesthetically with the curves of the plants and paths in the surrounding landscape.

It is interesting to point out how the structure of the roof overhang is visible from below and how it does not join with other roof overhangs. This seems to add variation to the roof line.  

One of my favorite elements of the roof line are these chain gutters. Water naturally follows the path of the chains and makes a beautiful gushing sound. The water is also guided to a small artificial creek. (Note that originally the gutters would be made of bamboo) 

Landscape Details

Transitional Space

 

 These are all great examples of how different natural materials, plants, and elevations create beautiful and harmonious transitions between the edge of the building and the landscape.

Water Elements

Another way the building is integrated into the landscape is by having a creek run between the main building and the tea/bath house. The sound the running water makes is very soothing as it echoes gently between the walls of the buildings.

 The creek that runs between the buildings joins this creek coming from another angle. This picture shows the variation between the shape and slope of the plants, land, and rocks.

The creeks flow into this pond with coy fish in it. The landscape designed and accented by a several garden components.

Garden Components

Bamboo Fence

This fence is a great example of how local materials that are easy to replace can be used to create a simple fence that is harmonious with the landscape.  

Stone Garden Sculptures

This statue is hidden in a grove of bamboo. It is not visible from anywhere else on the site.

This stone lantern is another example of sculpture in the garden. According to one of the guides, traditionally a candle would be placed on the inside of the stone lanterns at night. The light from these candles would help people navigate the garden while creating beautiful shadows. The roof of the stone lantern is a reference to traditional pagodas.   

 Curving Paths

 

 The paths through the landscape create interesting changes in elevation and view. They also use large stones as bridges to cross over the creeks.   

Check back next week as I explore the city scape created by traditional row house neighborhoods in Philadelphia. As always, feel free to leave any comments and subscribe!