As busy as he may be with exciting projects intended for humans (e.g. a sky-high green roof in Tokyo and updates to Portland's Japanese Gardens), Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has also dedicated some time to our animal friends lately. Just completed in Takasaki, Japan is the dramatic new Kuma-designed Ohkubo Animal Hospital, a rectangular structure clad in alternating timber and black-hued panels and highlighted by a huge detached roof that folds down to form a canopy.
Designed to be more friendly than your average (read: very clinical) hospital, this structure was treated more like a big comfy house. Interiors feature a ton of natural light and natural materials like timber and washi paper. According to Designboom, the exposed wooden slats call attention to "the height of the space and emphasize the angularity of the ceiling," further referencing the look and feel of common residential spaces—like, say, a timber loft.
· A Concrete and Glass Home Frames Epic Views of San Diego [Designboom]
· Tokyo May Get a Sky-High Green Roof With Views of Mount Fuji [Designboom]
· Portland's Japanese Gardens Getting an Elegant Expansion Courtesy of Kengo Kuma [Curbed]
· This Swiss Elephant Habitat Looks a Bit Like a Geodesic Turtle [Curbed]
· Orangutans Monkey Around in This Rather Nice Zoo Habitat [Curbed]
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