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2023.06.20

Teahouse "Veneti-An Tea House" on display at the 18th Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition

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Mitsubishi Jisho Design Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Junichi Tanizawa) has been exhibiting "Veneti-An Tea House" a temporary teahouse and furniture pavilion, in the Giardini Marinaressa Gardens in Venice, Italy, since May 20, 2023. This work was unveiled as part of the "TIME SPACE EXPERIENCE" (organized by the European Cultural Center) at the 2023 Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition.

Resource circulation and response to local characteristics

"Veneti-An Tea House that utilizes Italian food waste (pasta, coffee grounds, wine corks) and recyclable resources (recycled paper) as building materials, as an attempt by Architectural Design office to put into practice and demonstrate the "circular economy" (economic activities that make effective use of stocks and create new value), which is attracting global attention today.In addition to resources, the design also incorporates the latitude of the local area where it will be installed as a regional characteristic, embodying universality and uniqueness that can be deployed anywhere in the world.
After the event, as a further upcycling initiative, the pavilion will be dismantled into parts, which will then be reassembled and redistributed as furniture that can be shaped in various ways.

Architectural features of the "Veneti-An Tea House"

1. Generate the shape based on the latitude of the exhibition venue

Focusing on the latitude (45 degrees) of Venice, where the exhibition will be held, the frame structure was based on this angle in order to appropriately introduce and block sunlight into the pavilion. The frame is made of laminated Miura folding wire, and the joint parts, which are the key to the structure, have a curved design to allow for smooth flow of force. This is an expansion of the joint technology Mitsubishi Jisho Design has been researching as part of its R&D.
The pavilion system responds to the characteristics of each region by developing designs that match the latitude of the installation location, such as 35 degrees (Tokyo) and 1 degree (Singapore).

The joints that make up the entire pavilion.
The joint extends in eight directions and is inserted into the shaft material.

Simulation of accumulated solar radiation.
During the event (May to November), the Veneti-An Tea House frame will be able to block about half of the sunlight that reaches the interior.

When deployed and installed in various locations around the world, the shape of the joints changes based on the latitude of each location, and the overall form of the "Iori" changes.

Overall view of the exhibition

2. Technology to realize a "Circular Pavilion"

1. Food waste turned into components: The joint parts are made of "food concrete," which is made by heating and compressing food waste generated in the exhibition area. This time, pasta and coffee grounds, which are discarded in large quantities in Italy, are used to address local issues.
2. Reduction of CO2 emissions during transportation through weight reduction: Semi-permanently recyclable paper and cork are used to reduce weight. Designers can transport the materials in suitcases (120L cases x 7).
3) Water-resistant treatment that returns to nature: In order to exhibit materials that are vulnerable to water outdoors, the physical properties of each material were investigated, and a transcendent liquid made from naturally occurring silicon was mixed and applied to each component. The hydroxyl groups of each part were bonded through a chemical reaction to achieve water resistance.

Generally, building materials used outdoors are homogeneous regardless of region, such as metal, glass, stone, and concrete, but with these technologies, we are exploring the possibility of using various environmentally friendly organic materials as building materials.

Water-resistant joints made from pasta and recycled paper tubes. The water-resistant liquid used is recyclable and can be recycled back into the soil.

3. Garden and approach

In addition to the "Veneti-An Tea House," several other art pieces and pavilions will be set up in the Giardini Marinaressa Gardens during the period. The "Veneti-An Tea House" is a tea house, and the approach to the garden and other exhibits are positioned as important elements of the roji (garden attached to the tea house).

4. Developments after the exhibition period ends

After the approximately six-month exhibition period, "Veneti-An Tea House" will be disassembled into its individual parts. Potential owners will be able to create the shape they want online and receive the components along with an NFT-converted assembly diagram. 3D data will also be provided, allowing users to create and expand parts using a 3D printer or NC machine.
Veneti-An Tea House was designed with the intention of being used as furniture, and can be considered a tea room made up of furniture parts.

Left: "Veneti-An Tea House" placed in the garden. Right: Furniture reconstructed from parts. The tabletop is made of food concrete made from coffee grounds.

Special Comment

Architect Tetsuo Nishizawa shared his thoughts on the exhibition.

Every day, we use a variety of technologies to create incredibly complex, machine-like architecture, cities, and societies. At the same time, it can also be said that these technologies have expanded the functions of the human body and our senses of perceiving the world. Technology can transform the environment, and it can even transform us. The numerous technologies embodied in the small "Veneti-An Tea House" teahouse are intricate means for creating these structures, but they also possess the power to vastly expand and stimulate our imaginations, contemplating the size of the Earth, what it means to travel across it today, and the global costs of maintaining civilization. It's as if the function of the hermitage is to indulge in such contemplation.

Nishizawa Tetsuo / Architect. Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1974. Completed a Master's course at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2000. Established Nishizawa Tetsuo Architects in 2007. Appointed Professor at Kyoto Institute of Technology from 2023. Major works include the "Renovation of the Collection Gallery at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo," "Kyoto Kyocera Museum of Art" (collaboration with Aoki Jun), and "Hachinohe City Museum of Art" (collaboration with Asako Yoshihide and Mori Junpei). He has received numerous awards, including the 30th AACA Award, the JIA Japan Architecture Grand Prize, AIJ Prizes (Work Award), and the 62nd Mainichi Art Award.

Exhibition Overview

Veneti-An Tea House-AN/TIME SPACE EXISTENCE

Exhibition Period	May 20th - November 26th, 2023
venue	Giardini Marinaressa Gardens, Venice (Riva dei Sette Martiri, 1364, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy)
Design and Construction	Takaaki Fuji (Mitsubishi Jisho Design, tyfa/Takaaki Fuji + Yuko Fuji Architecture) Hiroya Inage (Mitsubishi Jisho Design) De Yuan Kang (Mitsubishi Jisho Design Asia)
Production Cooperation	Kota Machida (fabrication)…Food waste material manufacturing Mitsuru Muroshima (Muroshima Seiko)…Mold production for food waste materials Japan Chemical Industry …Paper waste paper tube manufacturing Osamu Oide (Silicagen)…Transcendent Liquid Waterproof Mixture Shuji Nakano (IWS)…Cork flooring manufacturing
tea ceremony	Matsumura Sosuke (crazy)
Photos and Videos	Shohei Yokoyama, Yuta Sawamura
Special Thanks	YAU (Yurakucho Art Urbanism), Joseph Canouil (Mitsubishi Jisho Design)
Organizer	European Cultural Center Venice Biennial “TIME SPACE EXISTENCE” 2023
WEB	timespaceexistence.com
Main Applications	Pavilion, Tea House
size	1,700×1,700×1,700mm
structure	Miura folding frame laminated structure
Materials	Waste (pasta, coffee, cork, paper)

Designer Profile

Takaaki Fuji

Chief Mitsubishi Jisho Design Jisho Sekkei / Representative of tyfa / Part-time Lecturer at Meiji University
His major works include "Taipei Nanshan Plaza" (Taipei), "Bay Window Tower" (Tokyo), and "Meguru-ma." He excels in design approaches that formally embody consideration for the surrounding and global environment through environmental simulations and circular materials.
For "Bay Window Tower", he has received Architectural Design Institute of Japan Grand Prize, Selected Architectural Designs of AIJ Newcomer Award, GOOD DESIGN AWARD, the Japan Interior Designers Association JID Award, and Architecture Master Prize Winner, and for "Taipei Nanshan Plaza", he has received CTBUH Award of Excellence and other architectural awards both at home and abroad.

Hiroya Inage

Mitsubishi Jisho Design Architects
He is involved in development related to BIM, ZEB, GIS, digital archives, etc. He is skilled in data-driven design approaches based on human activity, comfort, and urban environments through environmental simulation and computational design.

De Yuan Kang

Mitsubishi Jisho Design Architects
His major works include the interior design series for a certain company's overseas branch, "The Grand Outlet East Jakarta."
While working on projects in various countries, he has developed a design approach that takes into consideration regional characteristics and brings out the charm of a diverse range of cultures and international elements.

Gallery

Parts production process. ① An example of food waste used in this project. ② Making the mold for the parts. ③ Powdered waste is packed into the mold and compressed while being heated. ④ The completed parts (pictured are a joint made of pasta [top] and flooring made of coffee grounds [bottom]). These are then treated to be water-resistant.

Top left: On the pre-opening day, a tea ceremony was held by Matsumura Souryou (Muchakucha), who is pioneering new possibilities in the tea ceremony.
Top right: An exhibition that treats the garden's pathway as an open space, overlooking the Venetian bay in the distance.
Below: A full view of the pavilion. The sense of density changes in a complex way depending on the angle.

that's all

Contact for inquiries regarding this matter

Mitsubishi Jisho Design Inc. Public Relations Office
TEL 03-3287-5001

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