A 10-foot square hut – Through observing a micro world, seeing a macro universe
The universe exists even in the tiniest world, and the unit that measures the universe is only time and space.

Facade. Image Courtesy of C+ Architects

Have you ever experienced a complete Japanese tea ceremony? For nearly half a day, people felt the universe by drinking a bowl of tea. More importantly, in a small space, reflect and observe one’s inner world through tea soup, utensils and a series of behavioral action.

Courtesy of C+ Architects

Designed by the C+ Architects team, the “Space-time Cave” is set to be a mobile tea house that can accommodate 2 to 3 people. In this small “cave” of 2.4×2.4×2.4 meters, people experience time and space through changes in light, air and even rain.

Exhibition Corridor. Image Courtesy of C+ Architects

Facade. Image Courtesy of C+ Architects

Unlike the traditional tea room, the installation is displayed in the corridor of the Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, which can be said to be an “architecture within architecture”. The designer avoids the appearance of building components to the greatest extent, and realizes various openings to archive the function of windows and doors in architecture language, making the whole more abstract and purer. At the same time, through the slender hole, viewers can also enjoy the artwork created by the artist Leandro Erlich in the central courtyard of the museum.

Facade. Image Courtesy of C+ Architects

Mortise and Tenon / Assembly
Using traditional Mortise and Tenon joint, the designer built a movable “hut” with a single material and construction. The components are cut into dimensions that are easy to transport and install. The texture and the section of the material are expressed in the original way. When the “hut” no longer assumes any function, it can be dismantled and processed into other wood products to achieve the recycling of the material.

View From Corner. Image Courtesy of C+ Architects

Scaling Up of Furniture / Scaling Down of Architecture
The “hut” is an ambiguous existence between installation and architecture. It is like an enlarged piece of furniture, and a house with architectural features. This is the same as the bed in traditional Chinese courtyard house.

Inside Corner. Image Courtesy of C+ Architects

The four corners of the cube are cut away, forming windows and door openings, letting light entering the space from different directions, forming a box of light. When people are inside the “hut”, different angles of sky and scenery can be seen through various openings.

Detail. Image Courtesy of C+ Architects

• Interiors Designers

  C+ Architects

• Location

  Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

• Category

  Store

• Lead Architect

  Yanchun Cheng

• Design Team

  Chen Bo, Liyuan Xu

• Area

  5.76 m2

• Project Year

  2018