Joinery Clue – 39 Ways to Manipulate Boundaries

This book reveals the potential of fittings in manipulating boundaries and spaces, viewed through five perspectives: distance, stance, environment, detail, and reuse.

Leveraging architectural fittings as a central axis in his designs, the author—who also runs a fittings manufacturing company—explores 26 works by master architects, from modern pioneers to emerging talents, along with 13 of his own creations, all richly documented with detailed drawings and photographs.

[Table of Contents]
Prologue: Everything is Fittings—Toward a Space Model that Connects While Closing

Chapter 1: Distance
—A Complex Sense of Distance Through the Combination of Fittings and Composition
1-1 Sky House (Kiyonori Kikutake) … “Flexible Boundaries” that Protect Irreplaceable Space
1-2 Nasu Mountain Lodge (Akiko Miya) … Gate-Wall and Fittings that Fuse Body and Environment
1-3 T house (Sou Fujimoto) … Thin Walls as Immovable Fittings
1-4 Sasa House (Tatsuya Yabe) … Eaves that Create a Special “Outside”
1-5 Fujimura Memorial Hall (Yoshiro Taniguchi) … Two Boundary Lines that Contain Both Closeness and Distance
Author Case Study 1-1 Jaja House … A Space Supported by Fittings and a Flexible Structure, Serving as Both Home and Civic Hall
Author Case Study 1-2 House Between Columns … A Flexible Way of Living Enabled by Traditional Construction Methods and Fittings
Column 1: Infectious Diseases and Fittings

Chapter 2: Stance
—Fittings Shape Expressions and Can Completely Transform Them
2-1 Former Residence of Kunio Maekawa (Kunio Maekawa) … A Rustic, Open Fitting that Blends “Japanese Elements” with “Modernism”
2-2 Small House (Yasuyuki Unemori) … Fittings that Encourage Approaches Towards the City
2-3 SHAREyaraicho (Satoko Shinohara + Ayano Uchimura) … Two Types of Stances that Support Commons
2-4 House and Path (Hideyuki Nakayama) … Parallel Paths with Different Degrees of Internalization
2-5 KITAYON (Takashi Hokami + Atsuko Ota) … Subtle Boundaries that Express Individual Presence in the City
2-6 house/studio O+U (Yoshinari Kimura + Naoko Matsumoto) … “Repositioning” Created by Misalignment Between FRP Facade and Frame
Author Case Study 2-1 Project at Hanahata Danchi, Building 27 … Fittings that Reconfigure the Danchi Landscape
Author Case Study 2-2 Umbrella and Enclosure … A “Fitting-like” Stance Combining Seismic Reinforcement and Site Response
Column 2: Production and Fittings

Chapter 3: Environment
—Multiple Layers of Comfort Created by Overlapping Fittings
3-1 Chochikukyo (Koji Fujii) … Controlling the Environment Through Layered Boundaries
3-2 Anti-Dwelling Machine (Takamitsu Azuma) … Interior Windows Offering Thoughtful Consideration Amid Unusual Shapes
3-3 Ushiku Gallery (Yasushi Horibe) … The Common Sense of Fittings as “Adjustments”
3-4 Hakuba Mountain Lodge (Toshiharu Naka + Yuri Uno) … Ecological Boundaries for Enjoying Play with Nature
3-5 Next to Kosugi Bathhouse (Kosuke Higuchi + Sui Taki) … Fittings and Environmental Layers that Create “Bathhouse-Like” Phenomena
Author Case Study 3-1 AKO HAT … A House Adjusting Heat and Air with Sunroom and Multi-Faceted Windows
Author Case Study 3-2 House Overlooking a Park … A House Allowing Free Choice Between Openness and Reassurance
Author Case Study 3-3 House in Hanegi … Parts That Illuminate and Restore the Tactility of Architecture
Column 3: Clothing and Fittings

Chapter 4: Detail
—Inherited and Accumulated Craftsmanship
4-1 Former Inomata Residence (Goichi Yoshida) … “Invisible Boundaries” Amid Clarity
4-2 House in Inokashira (Junzo Yoshimura, Extension by Akira Hidaka) … “Gentle Form” of Yoshimura Shoji and a Living Style with Rental Rooms
4-3 Our House (Shoji + Masako Hayashi, Renovation by Koichi Yasuda) … Fittings Moving Freely Within the “Frame of Space”
4-4 ZIG HOUSE / ZAG HOUSE (Makoto Furuya) … “Mado” That Opens Yet Blocks, Blending With the Wall
4-5 House in Koishikawa (Tamotsu Tejima) … Fittings and Architecture Unified According to “Logic”
Author Case Study 4-1 House in Higashimatsuyama … Gradation of Boundaries Achieved Through Frame Thickness and Surface Materials
Author Case Study 4-2 House in Black and White … A House and Fittings With Only the Necessary Elements
Author Case Study 4-3 House in Yamate … Fittings Prepared for Both “Main Street” and “Alley”
Column 4: Craft and Fittings

Chapter 5: Reuse
—Changing Spaces from Elements, Connecting to the Wider Area
5-1 Toyosaki Row Houses (Osaka City University Takehara/Koike Laboratory + Uzlab) … Flexible Boundaries Crafted by Urban Norms
5-2 Suehiro Row Houses (Osaka City University Koike Laboratory + Uzlab) … Creating Connections With the City Through Movable Boundaries
5-3 SAYAMA FLAT (Jo Nagasaka) … Leftover Fittings that Foretell What’s Beyond
5-4 Manazuru Publishing, Store No. 2 (Miho Tominaga + Takahito Ito) … Fittings Stitching Together Architecture and Place
5-5 &Form Studio and Gallery (Ryuji Nakamura) … Aluminum Sashes as Partitions Creating an “Outside”
Author Case Study 5-1 House in Roka Park … Fabric Frame Doors Restoring Continuity and Flexibility of Space
Author Case Study 5-2 Ito Bari … A Moderate Relationship with the City, Born from Small Renovations of Fittings
Author Case Study 5-3 House with Roof Ties … A Bright Room Created by Reconstructed Ceiling Ties and Wooden Frame Fittings

Epilogue
Architectural Data and Image Credits