Mole Architects: Wabi Tea House, Prickwillow
- Published: 16 January 2008 21:14
- Author: Ruth Slavid.
- More by this Author
- Last Updated: 06 March 2008 15:21
Mole Architects: Wabi Tea House, Prickwillow
£7,000
"Designed for hosting Japanese tea ceremonies, this small house is a deliberate evocation of a fen shack."
Mole Architects
When not in use as a guest-room, this annex hosts Japanese tea ceremonies. Mole Architects won the 2004 RIBA Manser Medal for its Black House in nearby Ely, and repeats the colour here. Evoking a fen shack, it is built on Japanese principle of 'wabi-sabi'; embracing the idea of transience through a beauty that is imperfect and impermanent. Almost all materials are reclaimed, and the client, a potter, hand-built all the joinery. Inside, clay render covers reed lathes. The effect is delightfully imperfect, but surprisingly permanent and complete.
