The facility of mold growth in Japan could in part help explain why the culture of cleanliness was so prevalent and why “impurity” remains taboo. (© Anne Kohtz) The Culture of the 30-Year HouseĪncient Chinese chroniclers noted that the religious observances of the peoples of the Japanese archipelago concerned mainly cleanliness and purity, elements that mark many cultural and religious practices to this day. The practice of leaving the under-floor area open is now generally illegal in cities, however, as the crawl space acts like a duct sucking in oxygen in the case of fire. Almost all of the ground-floor walls can be opened, allowing the free flow of air. This farmhouse is raised approximately 50 cm above ground level. However, wearing many layers of clothes and getting chilblains on your fingers was apparently a small price to pay for avoiding mold. Since relative humidity can be high even in winter, they had abundant air flow even when shut to the outside elements-through spaces between wooden shutters and paper doors, between walls and roof, and frequently through an entirely open smoke outlet.Īll of this ventilation served to make traditional Japanese homes fairly comfortable in summer, but seriously uncomfortable in winter. Private homes were typically built with heavy timbers and excellent natural ventilation. The ground floor of a traditional minka is almost entirely opened to the free flow of air. Temples, shrines, palaces, and homes of the traditionally wealthy fit in this category. Buildings over 300 years old still in their original state are usually “lightly inhabited,” containing very little furniture and few other fittings. ![]() Traditional wooden construction fought mold by raising the building above ground level and leaving walls mostly open so that air could flow freely under, around, and through the entire interior space. Women caution that long hair may mildew if not properly dried and countless pairs of shoes have moldered while shut up in a shoe closet. The onset of the rainy season is when mold can become truly destructive. Temperatures rarely drop below freezing or rise above 35☌, providing an ideal temperature band for growth most importantly, the humidity can linger above 70% for weeks at a time, particularly during the warm summer months. Much of Japan has ideal conditions for mold and many other types of fungi. To achieve these, contemporary construction relies on structural and mechanical ventilation that adds significantly to the cost and complexity of buildings. Unfortunately, mold-related problems and “sick house” syndrome soon proved that moisture control and proper ventilation are absolutely necessary to the health of inhabitants. In the drive for energy efficiency, developed countries introduced new methods of insulation and pushed to limit air flow between the inside and outside of houses. Mold plagues twentieth century buildings all around the world. (© Architectonic Atelier Yuu) A Constant Presence The kitchen in this new home is separated from the living area by a 600 mm sagarikabe ceiling divider to slow the spread of smoke and fire. Three other considerations were more pressing: mold, typhoons, and earthquakes, in that order. ![]() However, it appears to have been the least of the frequent natural disasters that drove traditional Japanese building forms. ![]() Recently, a European architecture student asked me, “Historically, why did the Japanese build almost exclusively with wood even though fires were so common?” Fire is certainly a problem for Japanese wood construction, a fact reflected in the strictness of current fire mitigation codes.
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