It takes just a few days of sun in London, such as we have recently had, and the city begins to think and talk of picnics and pavilions! In that spirit, allow me to open proceedings with a look at this beautiful Japanese summer pavilion from 2009. Woods of Net by Tezuka Architects explores and develops the tradition of Japanese carpentry that architects in the west find so fascinating. In this building no metal parts are used in its construction, only traditional timber jointing techniques. The form achieved is far from traditional. It creates a powerful contemporary architecture and a paradise playground, both recognisably Japanese.
There are 320 cubic metres of timber in the pavilion forming 589 structural members that enclose an area of 530 square metres. All the timber used in construction is ungraded. That is to say that natural shakes and splits in the grain of the wood are accepted as a consequence of using the material. Structurally, the potential variability in the material has implications which have been overcome using cutting-edge computer analysis that allows potential structural failures to be understood, quantified and mitigated against.
