01 Aug, 2016

Zero-waste Japanese town builds a unique building from abandoned materials

Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | JAPAN | 01 Aug, 2016
Published by : Eco Media Asia

Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP just won the WAN Sustainable Buildings Award 2016 for their stunning Kamikatz Public House, a sundries shop and pub that symbolizes the Japanese town Kamikatsu’s commitment to zero waste. The eco-conscious structure is affordably built out of reclaimed materials and showcases reuse in creative and inspirational ways.

The small yet ambitious Japanese town of Kamikatsu has achieved an 80% recycling rate and residents sort their waste into 34 categories. The Kamikazt Public House embraces the zero waste mission in its design, particularly with its eye-catching eight-meter-tall window wall made from a hodgepodge of windows reclaimed from nearby abandoned houses. The eight-meter-tall window wall and other openings bring in cool breezes in the summer, while a carbon-neutral radiation heater warms the structure in winter.

The building is filled with creative displays of reuse, including reclaimed tiles for the flooring, a bottle chandelier, and newspapers upcycled into wallpaper. The exterior is clad in locally produced and reclaimed cedar boards colored with naturally derived persimmon tannin paint.

“It’s trying to illustrate architecturally a very strong idea which is to do with zero waste,” said juror and Managing Director at EPR Architects Chris Castle. “There’s a very strong community engagement here, there’s been other buildings for the community, but this is being fed into by the community. There’s also a fantastic integration of the community, with genuine community involvement in the fundamentals of the design which is just great.”

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Article by Lucy Wang at inhabitat.com

Information and Images via Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP