Architects: Tadao Ando, Olafur Eliasson
Year: 2006
Photography: Tomoki Imai, Studio Olafur Eliasson
Ceramic Consultant: Petersen Tegl
Client: Obayashi Foundation
City: Tokyo
Country: Japan
Yu-un House, a private gallery with an adjoining guesthouse and tea ceremony room, is located in a quiet Tokyo residential area. Designed by Tadao Ando, the building’s “box-within-a-box” concept is defined by a two-story glass outer structure that follows the 20 m² site contours, encapsulating a concrete inner box. This interior space is segmented into a 5×5 grid layout, with a diagonal line cutting through to form a central courtyard, creating a serene, geometrically structured environment.
Within the courtyard, artist Olafur Eliasson’s installation, “Tile for Yu-un”, features hexagonal platinum-glazed stoneware tiles. These 7,000 handmade tiles line the courtyard walls, each derived from the quasi-brick’s unique shape. Reflecting daylight and sky hues, the tiles visually dissolve the boundary between the built structure and its surroundings, merging interior and exterior elements in a play of natural light and shadow.
The hexagonal tiles in Eliasson’s installation add a dynamic, reflective quality to Ando’s concrete design, amplifying the courtyard’s connection to the sky and natural light. By blending these materials, the installation transforms the courtyard into a light-responsive environment, allowing Yu-un to embody both Ando’s precise spatial composition and Eliasson’s integration of art with nature, creating a harmonious experience within the quiet residential setting.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Tokyo, Japan
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
