Shigeru Ban Architects
This is a collaboration between LIXIL, which has innovative technology and a clear view of what houses of the future may be like, and Shigeru Ban, an architect with a reputation for producing ideas relating to inexpensive but comfortable housing. One of the innovations by LIXIL is a system that integrates essential functions for everyday life—bath, toilet, kitchen, and washstand functions—into a “Life Core” that clusters the plumbing for water supply and waste water removal overhead instead of under the floor, enabling greater flexibility of layout. Another innovation is technology that enables heavy glass to slide surprisingly easily, rotating it through 90 degrees when part-open so that it can then be slid away to the side for storage. This enables homes to have very wide openings. Shigeru Ban’s idea for sandwiching cardboard between two thin panels to provide both strength and lightness is a completely new innovation for architectural structures. And in another dramatic idea for housing, ceilings and walls consist of sheet materials secured in place by zippers. The structure is very clear, so it has the unique advantage of allowing the owner of the construction project to freely specify the width and layout of spaces.