terunobu fujimori's grass covered tea room pavilion pops up in tokyo

japanese architect terunobu fujimori has installed a grass covered tea room called ‘goan’ as part of pavilion tokyo 2021. staying true to fujimori’s playful and often curious architectural style, the newly completed structure features a pyramid shape, grassy walls, and a charred cedar timber top. the temporary pavilion is sited in front of the new national stadium in tokyo until september 5, 2021, to coincide with the olympic games.

images courtesy of kogakuin university

to get to the tea room at the top, visitors must first enter the waiting room on the first floor then climb a ladder to the upper level. the ladder reinterprets ‘nijiriguchi’, which is the tiny ‘crawling in’ entrance found in traditional japanese teahouses. from the second floor, visitors to the pavilion can enjoy a view of the new kengo kuma-designed stadium from the large window. 

goan tea room was realized with the help of undergraduate architecture students from ouchida laboratory. they plastered the ceiling and processed and applied the yakisugi treated wood. yakisugi is a traditional japanese method of burnt timber cladding that preserves the wood and provides fire resistance.  the tea room is one of eight pavilions that will be installed as part of the pavilion tokyo 2021 initiative to showcase japan’s innovative and forward-thinking creativity in the fields of art and architecture.

project info:

name: goan

location: tokyo, japan

architect: terunobu fujimori

event: pavilion tokyo 2021

dates: july 1 – september 5, 2021