The presentation makes use of three vertical columns of information, naturally placing the text on the upper lefthand corner so that it is read first, like the order of a book. A series of small diagrams accurately describe the ease to which the project could be deployed as a modular temporary construction. The images are beautiful and convincing, however the presentation itself is dark and somber, focused on moments of nightime, and the city in the rain. This proposal is, at the same time, rendered at the dense heart of Tokyo - a center of dynamism and urban life; the presentation would benefit from using imagery to that effect. The elevational and sectional line drawings are also black and heavy in weight visually - useful for directing a reader’s eye to these elements, though a more dynamic, lively color could be experimented with. This could aid in expressing the project as an inspirational space as well as a contemplative one. Finally the project would benefit from entering further into detail, giving it a more thorough constructive analysis and layer. How are the lush plants supported and irrigated? How is the swing connected? What are the project materials and how is its structure coordinated?
Take a seat and make a statement!
Jury feedback summary
Shinrin-Yoku is a proposal for a narrow, semi-circular reflective form that is accessed along its long axis through a small side opening. Its namesake uses a Japanese term for ‘baths in the forest’ and the project is designed as a protective shell containing an immersive natural interior space where one can spend a few moments to escape the city. The ‘cabin’ houses a small vertical garden and a swing; it is, in fact, the pendular movement of the swing that drives the project’s clean geometric form: in the longitudinal direction it is a semicircle, and in the transverse direction an A-shape relative to the location of the seated human body. The project form is an expression of its use, and its outer surface a physical reflection of the city around it.