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BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON
HERITAGE RETROFIT
FIRST ANNUAL EDITION
41
The influence of place is clearly
evident in Fujimori’s idiosyncratic work,
in which timber plays a central role. In
March 2016 Fujimori visited Kingston
University as part of a week-long
workshop project supported by the Daiwa
Anglo-Japanese Foundation. He discussed
his approach to design, explaining that
he tried to avoid referencing traditional
Japanese architecture in his work. Instead
his work is often strangely reminiscent of
prehistoric monuments and he favours
materials that are treated primitively and
sourced naturally to clad the exposed
surfaces of his buildings.
Yakisugi
cladding is one of Fujimori’s
trademark materials. The charring
technique makes the cladding planks
naturally resistant to damage from
moisture, repels insects and prevents
fungal decay.
In March 2016, the Kingston students
visited the Weald & Downland Living
Museum again, this time with Professor
Fujimori as the special guest, for a day-long
event exploring elements of traditional
timber construction in the UK and Japan.
The aim of the event was to exchange
practical skills through demonstrations
of
Yakisugi
timber treatment and sweet
chestnut shingle making.
Shingle making was demonstrated by
81-year-old Peter Harknett, who is the
oldest working steeplejack in the UK. It
is a simple method to understand, but
much harder to master. The log splits
where it wants to split, following the
direction of its grain. With experience
it becomes easier to predict how the
material will behave and a few of the
students achieved an acceptable shingle
or two.
Yakisugi
making was demonstrated by
71-year-old Professor Fujimori. Three-
metre long Douglas fir planks were bound
together with wire to create triangular
chimneys and a ball of newspaper was
lit at the base and pushed up inside. As
the fire caught the inside faces of the
triangulated planks, the intense flames
produced a thick layer of charcoal.
Fujimori opened up the corners of the
bundles, carefully controlling the flames
and ensuring even charring of the plank
surfaces. The professor listened to the
fire, placing his ear against the back of the
burning timber. When he decided they
were ready, he wrapped his arms around
the burning bundles and lifted them up
off their bases, laid them on the ground
and then opened them up to extinguish
the flames.
Describing the traditional timber
construction day, Kingston University
course leader Takeshi Hayatsu said ‘These
two cladding materials are defined by
their creators – both men demonstrated
skills learned over years of experience and
reminded us of the wisdom of old age and
the importance of learning from history,
the passing down of craft knowledge from
generation to generation’.
Yakisugi
has a powerful resonance
in the context of modern conservation
philosophy and practice. Recent building
conservation research, much of it archival,
has not only increased our understanding
of building materials, how they work, and
their efficiency and durability, but has also
led to the rediscovery of some traditional
materials and methods.
Seeing young students taking part
in such an old method was exciting and
refreshing. The 30
Yakisugi
planks made
at the museum have since been used
to clad a pavilion which the Kingston
University students built as their final
course project. Sourcing the timber
for the
Yakisugi
planks locally to the
museum also reduced the project’s
carbon footprint, helping to meet
the project’s objective of minimising
environmental impact. The completed
pavilion was displayed in the garden of
Dorich House Museum in South West
London in June and July 2016 as part of
the London Festival of Architecture.
DIANA ROWSELL
is the former head
of learning at the Weald and Downland
Living Museum, West Sussex (see page 42).
The Douglas fir planks after charring
A bundle of burning planks is tipped over to be
extinguished. Another triangular bundle can be seen
in the background ready for charring.
Professor Fujimori oversees the charring process