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Reimagining Wooden Architecture: A Carpentry Workshop Design in Honjima, Japan

Part 2 Project 2023
Cheung Nga Kei
Chinese University of Hong Kong | China
The project is a Carpentry Workshop proposal in Honjima - an island in the Setouchi region, Japan.

At the Edo period, Honjima was the center of governance over the islands, and several historical sites have been preserved. With its declining population but rich cultural background, the island was listed in the re-vitalisation scheme from the government and selected as one of the Setouchi Triennale islands, with artworks curated by local carpenters and artists.

As the craft of carpentry is diminishing and is an asset to this island, it is important to revive this intangible heritage and promote it to a bigger audience. The first step is to encourage the “learning of carpentry”, and hence the idea of a Carpentry Workshop. It is a large-span, wooden frame building, hosting facilities for experienced woodworkers and interested learners with wood polishing machines and classrooms.

The idea of recycling local wood to build is inspired by the island context. As it is difficult to import materials from elsewhere, it is common practice for islanders to reuse what they already have. The chosen abandoned houses in Honjima have been recycled for structural materials in building the Workshop. The joineries are also reused in the structural frame.


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2023
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