atelier tekuto: earth bricks

‘earth-bricks’ by atelier tekuto, chiba, japan
image © toshihiro sobajima

japanese architecture practice atelier tekuto has recently completed ‘earth-bricks’, a residential structure
located in chiba, japan. the curved exterior wall is formed from 2,600 earth bricks comprised of a dense mixture
of soil and magnesium oxide, an element which can be easily sourced from ‘magnesite mineral’, commonly
found in oceans and land. originally used for the mortar joints of the pyramids and great wall of china, this structure
aspires to reintroduce masonry construction sourced from local soil as a viable option for developing countries.

extended roof eave with exposed beams
image © toshihiro sobajima

the stacked rectangular bricks are slightly angled to produce the undulating and faintly segmented perimeter enclosure. a deep
roof overhang extends to screen a ribbon clerestory window formed with glass blocks of similar proportions to the custom
soil-based units. at night, the dwelling softly glows through the translucent glazing of the fenestrations. upon entering the central
living space and kitchen, attention is directed to the exposed structure of the vaulted ceilings. rafters radiate downward from
the main ridge element, which is reminiscent of a spine. the curved stairway attached to the exterior wall leads inhabitants
to an open bedroom loft with views of the great room below. the bathroom and storage room are concealed within a partition
behind the food preparation area and underneath the wooden steps.

(left) entrance facade
(right) front door
images © toshihiro sobajima

(left) earth brick detail
(right) upward view from great room
images © toshihiro sobajima

view of entrance and great room from kitchen
image © toshihiro sobajima

kitchen
image © toshihiro sobajima

great room
image © toshihiro sobajima

(left) corridor to bathroom
(right) space under stairway
images © toshihiro sobajima

bathroom
image © toshihiro sobajima

(left) bathroom
(right) view of ceiling from the loft
image © toshihiro sobajima

(left) stairs leading to the loft
(right) top of stairs from the loft
images © toshihiro sobajima

clerestory windows under roof eave
image © toshihiro sobajima

light emanates through translucent glass windows
image © toshihiro sobajima

illuminated at night
image © toshihiro sobajima

masonry wall under construction
image courtesy atelier tekuto

site plan
image courtesy atelier tekuto

floor plan / level 0
image courtesy atelier tekuto

floor plan / level 1
image courtesy atelier tekuto

section
image courtesy atelier tekuto

elevation
image courtesy atelier tekuto

elevation
image courtesy atelier tekuto

elevation
image courtesy atelier tekuto

elevation

block formation diagram

process to make the earth block mixture
image courtesy atelier tekuto

wall section
image courtesy atelier tekuto

project info:

site area: 184.62㎡
building area: 47.84㎡
total floor area: 41.39㎡
structure: masonry – earth block
architecture design: yasuhiro yamashita+masahiko takada+azusa ishii+ryo takagi/atelier tekuto
structural design: jun sato+yuko mihara/jun sato structural engineer
mechanical design: kazuhiro endo/eos plus
lighting design: sueko kanaya/visual technologies
experiment supervision: matsumura, fujita lab./university of tokyo, koshiishi lab./waseda university
construction: atelier tekuto, yoshiro goda/ogawa kyoritsu construction
photographer: toshihiro sobajima