Overview
If we are informed the building as seen in the photo is for industrial, commercial or public use, it is nothing unusual. What about a house? It will take us on a journey back to Japan to learn the truth. This week we’d like to introduce Machine Head in Tokyo and explore together the role stainless steel plays in the architecture. Now let’s sail off.
Machine Head
Looking like a metal box floating in the air, Machine Head was designed and constructed for a Japanese guitarist and completed in April 2008. It is a private two-story house located in Machida City, Tokyo with its first floor constructed from reinforced concrete and second floor from steel. It covers a total floor area of 103.38 m2, built at a 138.72-m2 free-shaped site.
The Story Behind Machine Head
Something different about this case consisted in the client’s deep involvement in the project as an amateur architect. Instead of buying a nice house in which anyone could live, the client dreamed to have a house he himself wanted with a feeling of “I live in”.
He didn’t find it in the existing apartments or houses on the market, so he came to think about building a house of his own with an architect. As he had no intention of buying a house for sale, he became more certain of this thought. That’s how he approached the architect Mr. Maeda. The encounter proved quite satisfactory, as the client realized Maeda Atelier was the right architect he was looking for. “I think there are many triggers in life. It is an event that is also a starting point and a fork point for people, such as entering school, the birth of a child, and the success of work. I think it was a big trigger in my life from the time I met the atelier to the completion.” said by the client. (N MAEDA ATELIER Architects & Associations 2014)
The house proved much more a teamwork than an individual achievement, which fact manifested itself in two aspects. First came the client’s fantasy. The client wanted to exist as an aircraft carrier. That is to say, he wanted a house where he could rest and relax, feeling like at home. Meanwhile, he expected the house itself to fight together with him for tomorrow. Put in another way, it must also be a refueling space where he could carry out strategies and thinking, well prepared for the next day’s activities. Second came the client’s whole-course involvement. Typically, clients’ participation would end up here with the narration of the ideal house or/and the drawing. However, in this case, the client was involved until the completion with daily reports received during construction.
The Design of Machine Head
The site at which Machine Head has been built features an irregular topography. The western half of the land is flat but the easter half is lower than the ground by 4 meters. Mr. Maeda chose to take advantage of the difference in elevation within the site while incorporating the personal inspiration from a stone.
The house that would be 3 meters higher above the level came into his mind. That’s how “a lump of metal is jumping out of the cliff” became vivid. The higher lump of metal was jumping out of the cliff towards the city at the bottom. A bottom view generated the same impression. (N MAEDA ATELIER Architects & Associations 2014)
The shape of the metal lump was inspired from the client’s occupation as a guitarist. The “peg” of the guitar, designed to smooth the finger movement when "wring up the thread" proved inspirationally a perfect alignment. It was justified by the magic moment when the finished model and graphics were presented for the client’s review, he acclaimed that it was exactly the house he had imagined.
Stainless Steel Applied in Machine Head
Steel structure is nothing new for commercial or public buildings, but its application in personal house is quite limited in terms of both consumption quantity and market scale. The impression of Machine Head featuring a cutting-edge design is further reinforced by the extensive application of metal materials. Whether in light of the surface or the sense of technology associated with aircraft carrier as imaged by the client, the material selection is wise.
As experienced by the client, selecting materials to be used in the house and balancing costs could never be an easy task. Eventually, they chose galvalume steel panel to construct the metal lump which surface could vary with different natural conditions. It looked silver, golden or gray, changing with nature light. The connection of these panels was further strengthened by stainless steel bolts. According to JIDIPI (2013), there were 20,000 stainless steel bolts were used. The combined use of galvalume steel and stainless steel created a beautiful balance between effect and cost.
Stainless Steel Materials from CIVMATS China
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