Sliding Nature | Torafu Architects

We designed Panasonic's concept installation presented at the Milano Salone 2014. The key characteristic of this installation is the use of sliding doors, such as fusuma and shoji, which have been traditionally used in Japanese homes. With its sliding doors which can be easily be opened or closed as desired, the resulting structure emphasizes the mutability of space and embodies the concept of spaces combining the living environment and nature advocated by Panasonic.

In the courtyard, we have created a house-shaped structure with walls made of sliding panels. As they open, the enclosing boundaries disappear and the inner space integrates with the surrounding environment. We believe that a new, dynamic relationship with nature can be created with sliding panels that function as both doors and moving walls.

The pure-white sliding doors offer an eye-catching sight against the massive Western architecture as they slide automatically away from the structure at the center of the courtyard. Moreover, the ceiling plane appears to glow with light in response to their movement, amid the LED bulbs placed around it like growing plants and the flickering of lights in the cloister, as if all of them are breathing, creating an ever-changing panorama.

Furthermore, the whole courtyard shines in synchronization with ambience music that incorporates sounds sampled throughout the streets of Milan. An ever-transforming place with sliding doors opens up a relationship with the external world that is constantly being rewritten.