Japanese efficient use of small interior spaces? Innovations? Books?
dnrg
efficient use of interior (small) spaces? When I was in Japan a few
years ago, for instance, visiting a friend teaching English, I just
loved her little "box bathtub." It was tiny, square, but allowed you
to soak up to your neck sitting in it. Great use of space. I'm
wondering if I could order something like that for my own place in the
US.
I'm looking into designing my own small, energy efficient house and
would like to get some ideas from Japanese design. Are there any
resources out there that will help? I think large American homes are
inelegant, wasteful monstrosities.
Thanks very much in advance.
- Dana
Louise Bremner
> I'm looking into designing my own small, energy efficient house and
> would like to get some ideas from Japanese design.
Huh? This small Japanese-design house is anything but energy-efficient.
It heats up the entire neighbourhood in winter and has its own raincloud
above it in summer, from the air-conditioners we have to run to keep
moderately cool....
________________________________________________________________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!
Michael Cash
Bremner) belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>dnrg <dan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm looking into designing my own small, energy efficient house and
>> would like to get some ideas from Japanese design.
>
>Huh? This small Japanese-design house is anything but energy-efficient.
>It heats up the entire neighbourhood in winter and has its own raincloud
>above it in summer, from the air-conditioners we have to run to keep
>moderately cool....
But it's so neato taking a bath with your knees jabbing your chin.
--
Michael Cash
"There was a time, Mr. Cash, when I believed you must be the most useless
thing in the world. But that was before I read a Microsoft help file."
Prof. Ernest T. Bass
Mount Pilot College
John W.
removable door if you're wanting to divide a room up (but want the
option of a big open space for parties, etc.). But otherwise Japanese
homes, as has been mentioned, are not exactly models of efficiency.
Sure, the steps to the second floor take up much less space than, say,
their American counterpart; but they can be quite frightening because
they're only a few degrees short of being a ladder. Double and triple
pane windows are rarely used, insulation is a luxury item, and my
relatively new apartment had less weatherstripping than my forty year
old place in berkeley. Design wise they're not much different than any
small house in the world.
John W.
Louise Bremner
> >Huh? This small Japanese-design house is anything but energy-efficient.
> >It heats up the entire neighbourhood in winter and has its own raincloud
> >above it in summer, from the air-conditioners we have to run to keep
> >moderately cool....
>
> But it's so neato taking a bath with your knees jabbing your chin.
At least ours is not one of those cramped, window-less "unit baths" (not
sure why anyone would actively _want_ one of those).
John W.
> On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 21:31:31 +0900, dame_...@yahoo.com ( Louise
> Bremner) belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>
> >dnrg <dan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I'm looking into designing my own small, energy efficient house and
> >> would like to get some ideas from Japanese design.
> >
> >Huh? This small Japanese-design house is anything but energy-efficient.
> >It heats up the entire neighbourhood in winter and has its own raincloud
> >above it in summer, from the air-conditioners we have to run to keep
> >moderately cool....
>
> But it's so neato taking a bath with your knees jabbing your chin.
>
John W.
Ken
> Michael Cash <mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> wrote:
[snip]
>>But it's so neato taking a bath with your knees jabbing your chin.
>
> It's not my knees I worry about. And it's not my chin.
You really should patronize labu hotelus with more spacious bathroom
facilities...
dnrg
> removable door if you're wanting to divide a room up (but want the
> option of a big open space for parties, etc.). But otherwise Japanese
> homes, as has been mentioned, are not exactly models of efficiency.
Thanks John. I guess I misspoke when I posted my initial message. I'm
interested in Japanese ideas for the efficient use of small interior
spaces.
For energy efficiency, I'm looking toward American (and elsewhere)
green / sustainable building practices; e.g. passive solar, energy
efficient appliances, and super-insulation.
My apologies to all those ESL teachers in Japan who suffer with
egregiously energy inefficient apartments and home rentals.
It's the intersection of energy efficiency (non-Japanese) and
intelligent design of small interior spaces (Japanese) I'm interested
in.
Cheers,
Dana
Louise Bremner
> My apologies to all those ESL teachers in Japan who suffer with
> egregiously energy inefficient apartments and home rentals.
Is that natural talent, or do you have to work at it?
John W.
Unfortunately I'm married to a Japanese lady, so the first criteria
for going to a love hotel is out of the question.
John W.
Elbow
> It's the intersection of energy efficiency (non-Japanese) and
> intelligent design of small interior spaces (Japanese) I'm interested
> in.
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dana
Hi,
I recently went to my library to try and find some resources using
space efficiently.
I did find a monthly magazine devoted to this pastime. Im at work at
present so I cant give you the name of this magazine.
Perhaps others may know of this book.
It has lots of ideas on how to fit as much stuff into a small space as
possible.
Many many good storage ideas and with minimal cost.
I will try to find out its name when I return home.
therapistjoe
I'm an architect with a Japanese wife and an interest in Japanese house
design.
The classic text on Japanese houses is "Measure and Construction of the
Japanese house" by Heino Engals, 1985, Charles E. Tuttle co., Rutland
Vermont. He was European, but raised in Japan.
An interesting little book I recently came across is "The Orange Mode" about
a Japanese architect and engineer who works on solar designs, Okumura Akio,
Professor Emeritus at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts.
Hope this helps!
mark
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dana
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Darrien
> > > >But it's so neato taking a bath with your knees jabbing your chin.
> > >
> > > It's not my knees I worry about. And it's not my chin.
> >
> > You really should patronize labu hotelus with more spacious bathroom
> > facilities...
>
> Unfortunately I'm married to a Japanese lady, so the first criteria
> for going to a love hotel is out of the question.
>
Can't you put her in a sailor uniform and dim the lights?
John W.
> intelligent design of small interior spaces (Japanese) I'm interested
> in.
>
older farmhouses. I once stayed at a friend's house waaaaaay out in
the middle of nowhere; it was this really old farm house, and the
walls would open to the outside: one sliding layer on top, one on
bottom. It was very cool. Not energy efficient, but it easily could
be. But even though it was a hot summer night, the air flow through
that house was spectacular. Also, my wife's grandmother (also in
waaaaay rural Japan) has the standard 'walkway' with each room
accessed via sliding doors from a long hall down the back of the
house. Remove all the sliding doors and you've got a massive open
space.
John W.
Michael Cash
belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>I did find a monthly magazine devoted to this pastime. Im at work at
>present so I cant give you the name of this magazine.
>Perhaps others may know of this book.
Yeah, it's the same one my wife buys and that I offered to send to the
poster.
dnrg
poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
> The classic text on Japanese houses is "Measure and Construction of the
> Japanese house" by Heino Engals, 1985, Charles E. Tuttle co., Rutland
> Vermont. He was European, but raised in Japan.
Terrific, I'll look this up. And Elbow, I would need love to know the
name of the mag you mentioned.
> An interesting little book I recently came across is "The Orange Mode" about
> a Japanese architect and engineer who works on solar designs, Okumura Akio,
> Professor Emeritus at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts.
How big is "active solar" (e.g. photovoltaics and solar hot water
heating) in Japan? I know one of the largest manufacturers of PV
panels on the planet is a Japanese company - Kyocera.
Cheers,
Dana
Michael Cash
alphabet and kept on going with:
>Thanks to Mark, Elbow, and John W. No thanks to the hydroencephalic
>poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
Who? Me?
>
>> The classic text on Japanese houses is "Measure and Construction of the
>> Japanese house" by Heino Engals, 1985, Charles E. Tuttle co., Rutland
>> Vermont. He was European, but raised in Japan.
>
>Terrific, I'll look this up. And Elbow, I would need love to know the
>name of the mag you mentioned.
You know, I was serious about sending you a copy of the magazine. I
would have gotten you a clean one from the bookstore across the
street. But I'm feeling just a tad bit too non sequitoriously
hydroencephalic at the moment.
Bryan Parker
>Thanks to Mark, Elbow, and John W. No thanks to the hydroencephalic
>poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
Dear Thesaurus Rex,
Taking random opportunities to make comments to
piss people off and then bitching about it when
they do the same to you is fun. Thank you.
>> The classic text on Japanese houses is "Measure and Construction of the
>> Japanese house" by Heino Engals, 1985, Charles E. Tuttle co., Rutland
>> Vermont. He was European, but raised in Japan.
>
>Terrific, I'll look this up. And Elbow, I would need love to know the
>name of the mag you mentioned.
You're gonna get all the love you can handle here.
Welcome to the group.
--
Bryan
gaijeneration -
noun: the act of propagating
noun: group of gaijenetically related organisms
constituting a single step in the line of descent
noun: the normal time between successive gaijenerations
(Example: "They had to wait a gaijeneration for that
prejudice to fade")
noun: all foreigners living at the same time or
of approximately the same age
Michael Cash
<puntspe...@yahoo.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
with:
>dan...@yahoo.com (dnrg) said:
>
>>Thanks to Mark, Elbow, and John W. No thanks to the hydroencephalic
>>poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
>
>Dear Thesaurus Rex,
>
>Taking random opportunities to make comments to
>piss people off and then bitching about it when
>they do the same to you is fun. Thank you.
Hell yeah it is. Why, some people spend the better part of the day
doing precisely that on by keitai e-mail. Great way to pass the time
away.
>
>>> The classic text on Japanese houses is "Measure and Construction of the
>>> Japanese house" by Heino Engals, 1985, Charles E. Tuttle co., Rutland
>>> Vermont. He was European, but raised in Japan.
>>
>>Terrific, I'll look this up. And Elbow, I would need love to know the
>>name of the mag you mentioned.
>
>You're gonna get all the love you can handle here.
>Welcome to the group.
She'll wander back over to frugal living when she gets done with us
here. It would be unfrugal to waste any more time on us than
necessary. The most unfrugal act she has committed, though, is to bite
the hand that offered to reach out and commit a random act of kindness
against her. How much more frugal could you get than having somebody
buy you the damned thing and mail it to you for nothing?
Bryan Parker
>On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 22:06:54 +0900, Bryan Parker
><puntspe...@yahoo.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
>with:
>
>>dan...@yahoo.com (dnrg) said:
>>
>>>Thanks to Mark, Elbow, and John W. No thanks to the hydroencephalic
>>>poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
>>
>>Dear Thesaurus Rex,
>>
>>Taking random opportunities to make comments to
>>piss people off and then bitching about it when
>>they do the same to you is fun. Thank you.
>
>Hell yeah it is. Why, some people spend the better part of the day
>doing precisely that on by keitai e-mail. Great way to pass the time
>away.
Why do I suddenly have the urge to change my sig
file?
>>>> The classic text on Japanese houses is "Measure and Construction of the
>>>> Japanese house" by Heino Engals, 1985, Charles E. Tuttle co., Rutland
>>>> Vermont. He was European, but raised in Japan.
>>>
>>>Terrific, I'll look this up. And Elbow, I would need love to know the
>>>name of the mag you mentioned.
>>
>>You're gonna get all the love you can handle here.
>>Welcome to the group.
>
>She'll wander back over to frugal living when she gets done with us
>here. It would be unfrugal to waste any more time on us than
>necessary. The most unfrugal act she has committed, though, is to bite
>the hand that offered to reach out and commit a random act of kindness
>against her. How much more frugal could you get than having somebody
>buy you the damned thing and mail it to you for nothing?
She could 've made a collect call to you and
informed you of the charges that you'd be
incurring for forcing her to read something made
out of a perfectly huggable tree.
Michael Cash
>Michael Cash <mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> said:
>
>>On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 22:06:54 +0900, Bryan Parker
>><puntspe...@yahoo.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
>>with:
>>
>>>dan...@yahoo.com (dnrg) said:
>>>
>>>>Thanks to Mark, Elbow, and John W. No thanks to the hydroencephalic
>>>>poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
>>>
>>>Dear Thesaurus Rex,
>>>
>>>Taking random opportunities to make comments to
>>>piss people off and then bitching about it when
>>>they do the same to you is fun. Thank you.
>>
>>Hell yeah it is. Why, some people spend the better part of the day
>>doing precisely that on by keitai e-mail. Great way to pass the time
>>away.
>
>Why do I suddenly have the urge to change my sig
>file?
You mean to something like "I ATE A BIG FAT DICK FOR LUNCH TODAY" --
Mike Cash? Like that?
I dunno. No telling what what I might change my sig to if you did
that. Maybe you'd better not.
Dave Fossett
> She'll wander back over to frugal living when she gets done with us
> here. It would be unfrugal to waste any more time on us than
> necessary. The most unfrugal act she has committed, though, is to bite
> the hand that offered to reach out and commit a random act of kindness
> against her. How much more frugal could you get than having somebody
> buy you the damned thing and mail it to you for nothing?
Might be a "he". I always assumed Dana could only be a woman's name until I
met a male one.
--
Dave Fossett
Saitama, JAPAN
John W.
Getting her *IN* to clothes is the least of my worries.
John W.
John W.
>
> You're gonna get all the love you can handle here.
> Welcome to the group.
>
John W.
Michael Cash
<re...@via.newsgroup> belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
I know exactly what you mean.
But having read several of her other posts, I'm pretty convinced it's
a she.
Michael Cash
the alphabet and kept on going with:
>Bryan Parker <puntspe...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<crsdfvosp5m5b2sb2...@4ax.com>...
>>
>> You're gonna get all the love you can handle here.
>> Welcome to the group.
>>
>Kinda like any girl at a Star Trek convention.
Fixed your spelling again. Don't thank me, always glad to help a
homeboy.
Bryan Parker
>On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 23:03:21 +0900, Bryan Parker
><puntspe...@yahoo.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
>with:
>
>>Michael Cash <mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> said:
>>
>>>On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 22:06:54 +0900, Bryan Parker
>>><puntspe...@yahoo.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
>>>with:
>>>
>>>>dan...@yahoo.com (dnrg) said:
>>>>
>>>>>Thanks to Mark, Elbow, and John W. No thanks to the hydroencephalic
>>>>>poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
>>>>
>>>>Dear Thesaurus Rex,
>>>>
>>>>Taking random opportunities to make comments to
>>>>piss people off and then bitching about it when
>>>>they do the same to you is fun. Thank you.
>>>
>>>Hell yeah it is. Why, some people spend the better part of the day
>>>doing precisely that on by keitai e-mail. Great way to pass the time
>>>away.
>>
>>Why do I suddenly have the urge to change my sig
>>file?
>
>You mean to something like "I ATE A BIG FAT DICK FOR LUNCH TODAY" --
>Mike Cash? Like that?
Something like that.
>I dunno. No telling what what I might change my sig to if you did
>that. Maybe you'd better not.
O.K. I won't.
Bryan Parker
Cute girls at Star Trek conventions have access to
a wide variety of love handles.
Elbow
> poster with a fondness for non sequitors.
>
> > The classic text on Japanese houses is "Measure and Construction of the
> > Japanese house" by Heino Engals, 1985, Charles E. Tuttle co., Rutland
> > Vermont. He was European, but raised in Japan.
>
> Terrific, I'll look this up. And Elbow, I would need love to know the
> name of the mag you mentioned.
>
Hi,
POPEYE INTERIOR BOOK is the one I have, its very good and shows lots
of 'real peoples' houses.
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1002492734/did-0/code-j/section-magazines/
INTERIOR ORANGE PAGE MOOK SUMMER
http://us.yesasia.com/en/prdGrpDept.aspx?pid=1001834516section=index&code=c&did=2936&
John W.
One thing I was thinking of that exists in Japan that doesn't in the
US (not sure about other places): water heated right at the place you
need it. Now, in the US there are inline water heating systems, but
I've yet to see anything like they have in Japan, which is a sizeable
unit that sits right next to the tub (for example) and lets you adjust
the water temp on the spot. Most inline systems I've seen in the US
don't have that little feature, which I happen to like.
John W.
Darrien
> > ...
>
> One thing I was thinking of that exists in Japan that doesn't in the
> US (not sure about other places): water heated right at the place you
> need it. Now, in the US there are inline water heating systems, but
> I've yet to see anything like they have in Japan, which is a sizeable
> unit that sits right next to the tub (for example) and lets you adjust
> the water temp on the spot. Most inline systems I've seen in the US
> don't have that little feature, which I happen to like.
>
They have those here in Sepponia, you just need to know where to look.
I found mine about 4" to the left of the knob with the big 'C' on it.
Louise Bremner
> One thing I was thinking of that exists in Japan that doesn't in the
> US (not sure about other places): water heated right at the place you
> need it. Now, in the US there are inline water heating systems, but
> I've yet to see anything like they have in Japan, which is a sizeable
> unit that sits right next to the tub (for example) and lets you adjust
> the water temp on the spot.
In Britain, there used to be gas water-heaters (called Geysers) that
were mounted on the wall above the bath and heated the water as
required, but I have a feeling there was a series of accidents caused by
badly maintained units--leaking coal gas would suffocate the bathers or
explode--so they were out-lawed. The modern electrical ones are nowhere
near as good at producing a wide stream of hot water suitable for a
shower.
John W.
Taking with appropriate sarcasm, would like to note that this has
absolutely nothing to do with your hot water heater.
John W.