Kashin - The Flower God 2020

Architects: Chiaki Daikoku, Koka, Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Client: Arte House Co., Ltd., Koka, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

21st-century garages need to be able to do more than simply keep cars safe. From providing a space for hobbyists to practise their craft to housing the family barbecue, a modern garage is a place where friends can get together to discuss all of their favourite cars. They have the potential to be true architectural pieces of art.

The architect believe, one of the best ways to make a positive impact on society is to incorporate art into your daily life. A possible catalyst in Japan’s social evolution, when a garage is perceived as art, it diversifies the concept of life.

For motor enthusiasts, cars exist as characters, portraying significant stories behind each of their owners. Their ultimate purpose is to become a luxury of unprecedented proportion, further encapsulating the personality of the owner, similar to how character can be constructed through a hairstyle or the clothes that you wear.

It is an opportunity for creative town planning and for value to be added to the area in its improvements, through fusing together nature and art, becoming the embodiment of a place where there is no beauty without art.

The ‘Flower God’ refers to a tale from Japanese folklore called ‘Hanasaka Jiisan’. The tale tells the story of an old man who sprinkles the ashes of his deceased pet onto a withered cherry tree, only to reap substantial rewards and a flourishing tree.

The space is wrapped in stainless steel with a three-dimensional curved surface. The roof becomes one with the walls, evoking a longing for one’s youth. It resembles a machine, piloted by an anime hero, launching from a space station. Concrete flooring is decorated with stainless steel and showcases an oil painting, with lighting positions in the curve of the silvery steel, to form a flower path to the public road in front. The contrast between black and white when it snows, will be an excellent opportunity to reaffirm the Japanese sense of beauty as an environmental art form.