kazuo shinohara’s umbrella house transported from tokyo to VITRA campus in germany
from tokyo to weil am rhein
The Umbrella House by iconic and influential architect Kazuo Shinohara has been successfully transported from Japan and reconstructed at the VITRA Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. The structure had originally been built in 1961 Tokyo under the architect’s so-called First Style, which drew from Japan’s architectural tradition. Now, it occupies the campus of the VITRA design museum as a venue for small gatherings, and a didactic space which shares insights on the modern architecture of Japan.
image by Dejan Jovanovic, courtesy VITRA
architecture by kazua shinohara at vitra design museum
Kazua Shinohara’s 1961-built Umbrella House — now occupying the VITRA campus (see here) — draws on traditional vernacular architecture seen throughout the temples and dwellings of Japan. The timber structure is defined by its square floor plan, and traditional motifs such as its namesake ‘umbrella’ pyramidal roof form, previously only employed in the design of temple complexes. The Japanese architect had curated a material palette is simple and inexpensive, and included locally-sourced timber along with cement fiber boards.
image by Dejan Jovanovic, courtesy VITRA
the reconstruction process
VITRA acquired the Umbrella house to safeguard it following a planned demolition to give way to a roadbuilding project at its original location in Tokyo. The wooden post-and-beam structure was meticulously dismantled in the summer of 2020 and divided into individual parts, with elements of Japanese cypress, Japanese pine, and Oregon pine. These parts were securely packed along with the other components and shipped to Weil am Rhein.
Reconstruction on the VITRA Campus commenced in September 2021 in close coordination with the Tokyo Institute of Technology and was completed in summer 2022.
image by Dejan Jovanovic, courtesy VITRA 
Umbrella House, Tokyo, 1963-1964, image © Akio Kawasumi 
Umbrella House, Tokyo, 1963-1964, image © Akio Kawasumi 
Umbrella House, Tokyo, 1963-1964, image © Akio Kawasumi
project info:
project title: Umbrella House by Kazuo Shinohara (1961)
location: VITRA Campus, Weil am Rhein, Germany
project coordination: Christian Germadnik, Logad GmbH
architectural reconstruction: Christian Dehli, Andrea Grolimund, DEHLI GROLIMUND
architectural direction: Prof. Shin-ichi Okuyama, Tokyo Institute of Technology
project architect: Masaru Otsuka, Research Associate, Koshiro Ogura and Yutaro Honshuku, Tokyo Institute of Technology
project consultants: Heritage Houses Trust, Tokyo and Prof. David B. Stewart, Tokyo Institute of Technology
surveying and conservation: Prof. Taisuke Yamazaki and Naoto Kizu, Tokyo Institute of Technology
dismantling and repair: Hidemitsu Ogura and Yusuke Fuchita / Fuhki
photography: Dejan Jovanovic, Akio Kawasumi
