Measure and construction of the japanese house

The traditional Japanese house and what modern architecture can learn from it
In the following essay I am going to explain the extend of standardization of the Japanese house, their underlying principles and its manifestations in the construction of these houses.Body:
When examining the exterior of a traditional Japanese house one is immediately drawn to the predominantly horizontal orientation of the house, a striking feature of Japanese architecture. The roof itself seems to hover over the ground as if it is a separate entity, detached from the walls and the rest of the structure. Making your way inside, it is the modular rooms that are now redefined, borders between inner and outer spaces are broken as translucent paper panels open up and inner space is extended outward. A mere continuation of the room, landscape sets the scene for the residential space, providing a source of tranquillity and relaxation, both spaces in harmony with one another, they become the same space. Here there is no distinction between house and garden as in the West, Japanese architecture is mainly described through the exclusion of axis and symmetry. A characteristic of this is the addition of individual spaces without particular spatial accentuation. Space units are not graded into minor/ major or interior/ exterior.

Looking at Japanese architecture from a broader perspective, the main features of the Japanese house are:
– the potential of its floor mats (tatami)
– its modular order of system and form
– its flexibility of space and functionality
– and its diversity within standardization.

The first feature of Japanese houses is the tatami. The tatami is a distinctive feature of the Japanese house, although the mat itself is not very distinctive. The tatami mat can be described as a floor covering which has been woven from straw and is used for walking, sitting and sleeping on. It is used until today and every Japanese home will have at least one tatami room. Its standard thickness is 45- 60mm and its size is approx. 3x 6 feet ( 910x 1820 mm). The word tatami comes from the Japanese word tatamu (meaning fold or to pile up). In the beginning the tatami was a moveable floor mat, which could be laid out anywhere in the house, however in the 15th century it became a permanent covering and since the 18th century it started to be used commonly among the lower classes and entire floor areas were then covered. During that time the fixation of size took place. The reason behind the regulation of the size of the mat is that when people would move to a new residence they would take their tatamis along with them and because these mats had to fit into their new residence it was thought that to simplify the process, a standard size would be needed.

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