Hey there! So, you’re going to explain the experiments we’re running in the office, right?
Welcome! Here, you can get hands-on experience with architecture experiments, farming, rice paddies, and more.
Origami is amazing too.
I’ve been into origami and crafts since I was a kid, which probably connects to my work today.
Origami has a lot of mathematical interest, but let’s put that aside. Today, I’ll show you a little of what we do in architectural experiments.
Sounds good!
This office used to be a barn attached to a house. I renovated it mostly by myself to make it an office. Niki helped me a bit too.
The office space was designed with environmental simulation, so that a single 6-tatami-size air conditioner can handle the climate.
Though we hardly use the AC in reality.
Environmental simulation?
Exactly.
The software I usually use wasn’t compatible, but there’s a free, well-known environmental simulation plugin (*1).
I programmed it so it could work with the software I use.
Wow, you can do that?
My childhood hobby of programming came in handy. Interestingly, things you genuinely play with as a kid often help later in life.
Using this, you can build a 3D model of a building and its surroundings and simulate how sunlight hits, indoor temperature and brightness, HVAC loads and electricity costs, and airflow throughout the year. Here’s an example of simulation results.
I see… that’s amazing progress in computer technology.
In the past, it would have been extremely expensive, but now it’s free if you understand how to use it.
Last summer, I wanted to experiment with weather data and evaporative cooling, so I tried microcontroller control.
Microcontrollers next?!
Yes. For a few thousand yen, you can buy a small microcontroller (*2) and connect sensors to program it.
You can record temperature, humidity, air pressure, brightness, and other weather data. This lets you validate experimental results as data.
The observation data was saved in a database and displayed in the graph below.
I also displayed a graph of the last 7 days, and a graph comparing the last 3 days with a year ago.
With the microcontroller, you can also control motors or solenoid valves to manipulate parts of a building depending on temperature and sunlight.
For example, we tried spraying well water on the roof and shades to see how indoor temperature changes. I’m not saying everything should be automated, but it opens up many possibilities.
In the end, we found that if the insulation is sufficient, roof sprinkling has almost no effect.
But for older buildings with lower insulation, it should have some effect.
When the sprinkling didn’t produce the expected results, we researched and verified it, trying to understand the underlying theory (*3). It was tough but very educational.
What’s that silver thing?
That’s “Nissha Hansha-kun 2.”
It’s a movable reflector. In winter, it captures sunlight beyond the window area to warm the room; in summer, it reflects sunlight to keep heat out. Simple, but effective.
Even with something that simple, the winter room temperature rose by about three degrees.
It’s an example of using small amounts of energy from nearby resources.
You try a lot of things, huh.
By actually testing things, you see many things that aren’t obvious on paper.
That’s one reason we moved the office. I started feeling uneasy about designing solely in my head.
There’s still so much I want to try—solar power, rainwater use, soil, plants—so come back when there’s something new to see.
I’m looking forward to it!
Moving the office revealed that what you can do differs greatly between urban and rural areas.
In rural areas, there’s plenty of space, abundant resources like trees, grass, sunlight, wind, soil, and water, and time seems to flow more slowly.
Previously, most work was on the computer, going outside only for site visits, which felt limiting for someone involved in hands-on creation.
Since moving, we can experiment anytime and do things like small woodworking projects that were hard to do before.
While the intensity of virtual simulations increased, we gained various ways to connect the virtual to reality, which has influenced the design itself.
