Taken from nature: Coeda House by Kengo Kuma

Coeda House is the name of this café, which stands on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The elegant pavilion was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The project name Coeda House is a translation from the Japanese for “house of the small branches”.

Square cedar boards have been assembled into a tree-like structure. The arboreal construction meant that it was possible to go without additional façade supports, which would have obstructed the broad view of the landscape.

The cedar boards, which are stacked on top of each other, are reinforced with carbon-fibre poles, which have a significantly higher degree of tensile strength than iron rods. The “trunk” in the middle of the pavilion branches into a jutting roof construction, and the entire structure was planned to withstand earthquakes. The design for the café was inspired by the surrounding landscape. What’s more, it serves as an observation post for a direct experience with nature.