John BarrNov 5, 201711 min readLight and Transparency in Japanese Architecture (In Praise of Fuzziness)Dark spaces exist in both Japan and the West but the responses have been different.
John BarrOct 1, 201711 min readIn Search of Japan-ness : Part 2 (We're All Japanese Now)An examination of Jun'Ichiro Tanizaki's essay In'ei Raisan (In Praise of Shadows).
John BarrSep 3, 201713 min readIn Search of Japan-ness : Part 1 (Putting Lipstick on the Gorilla)For Japanese architects, 1933 was a pivotal year in their search for a Japanese modernism.
John BarrAug 1, 20179 min readTwo Houses: Bonus Track (Sticking it to The Man)The Akatsuka House is perhaps the only example of architecture making a political statement in Japan.
John BarrJul 6, 201718 min readTwo Houses : Part 2 (Azuma House)Tō-no-ie (Tower House) is the house designed by Takamitsu Azuma for himself and his family in Tokyo.
John BarrJul 6, 20179 min readTwo Houses : Part 1 (Maekawa House)The Maekawa House is a product of the seismic political and cultural upheavals that wracked 20th century Japan.
John BarrMay 1, 20174 min readZenecon: The Japanese Construction PhenomenonZenecon are the greatest force in the construction, and possibly the design, of the Japanese built environment.
John BarrApr 30, 20174 min readBullshit from the BarbicanAre we still indulging in 19th century Exoticism and Orientalism in our view of Japan and Japanese architecture?