The Japanese house designed by an architect is intriguing. It is sometimes misunderstood when considered out of its physical, cultural and social context. It usually evokes a strange and frantic race to novelty. Their relationship with tradition is often poorly defined. This book gives historical and contextual cues that provide a deeper understanding of the conditions that conceptualize and produce the Japanese house.

Thirty-four houses are presented in this book, of which fourteen fall under the theme of “Yesterday’s Homes;” these are the foundation of Japan’s twentieth century, and twenty under “Today’s Homes” that illustrate a new generation of designers currently at work. In all, these are architectural case studies that consist of video interviews, plan drawings and photographs. It is a selection that is both didactic and light, where banality and the exotic run parallel with one another.

The book, published by Editions Le Lézard Noir, is available at the exhibition, in bookstores in France or on the publisher's website  www.lezardnoir.com

Language: French

ISBN 9782-35348-0685 / 35€ / 368 pages / November 2014