“Use all local possibilities, while having uphold respect for the environment.”

CHIBA MANABU ARCHITECTS (JAPAN)
www.chibamanabu.jp

Manabu Chiba was born in Tokyo in 1960; he finished the University of Tokyo, specialty of architecture, in 1987. He used to work in various designing firms for a long time; in 2001 the architect founded his own firm Chiba Manabu Architects. The main creative credo of Manabu Chiba – use all local possibilities, while having uphold respect for the environment. Such position, as well as extremely accurate designing receive recognition for the architect – he was awarded as the author of the best dwelling house (1995), the best young architect (1998), and in 2002 he became a winner of award for the best dwelling house in Tokyo. In 2005 and 2006, he was also awarded the Good Design Award. He recently clinch The Prize of Japan Society for Finishings Technology in 2007.

His talent to design buildings meeting various requirements and located in absolutely different places is shown by presenting in the article two his houses: the Surf villa, located in Kashima town on the ocean shore (Ibakari prefecture), and dwelling house named White cube, built in Meguro-ku district of Tokyo. The structure of the villa, which gross area is 200 m², is logic, all advantages of the place are used: it is closed from the North side and open in the South and East – so the wide panorama of the ocean opens in front. This solution was inspired not only by the points of the compass but also interior planning of the house: bedrooms – private zone - are concentrated in the North, and common space (also called “white space”, in Japan - yohaku) is in the opposite end of the house. Whereas the White cube is located in quite gloomy environment of the city. Thus the architect’s idea was to contrast a white cube with grey environment and open it to exterior in a way that it should remain unseen from outside, and interior should dip in the natural light. However works of Manabu Chiba have common features: all of them attract by subtle grace and sense of proportion.