Kesurokai

Finished model of the pavilion

So, the scale model is now finished and it looks very beautiful. This will now act as a plan to help when the carpenters construct the life-size version in Japan. There are a few lovely little details I noticed:

Stone piers: It is sat on top of little stones and I am guessing this is how it will be constructed because it is the same as our little barn. The bulk of the timber frame will stay dry because of the roof and wall cladding, but the bottom pieces are prone to rot if they are on damp ground. So it is traditional to raise the frame on little stone piers with a small piece of lead between the stone and frame. You can see those for our barn below, left. The stones came from the stream just below Robin's workshop and the lead was donated by our neighbour, the vicar, who had some left overs from last time they repaired the church roof:

 

Oak pegs: The model is held together with wooden pegs because that is what will hold together the final building. Each joint is carefully constructed so when the pegs are knocked through the holes they pull the joint together. The pegs have to be made from really dry wood so they will not shrink afterwards and a large number are needed so I imagine this will be a less-strenuous but slightly tedious task for the carpenters once they are on-site.

Joint numbers: Every joint is labelled with a series of symbols and you can see these too in the picture below of Hannes working on our little barn. If you can read them, the symbols will show exactly where in the barn each end of every timber goes. Buildings like this are not built gradually, instead all the pieces are cut and every joint tried and tested in isolation before finally the frame is constructed in one go. I think there are various different regional systems of doing this in Europe, and the Japanese one is different again, so it will be interesting to find out how they have chosen to do it!

 

There are more pictures of the final model in the photo album.

Pavilion model making

I have some new photos of Hannes and Markus making a scale model of the pavilion which is a really important part of the making process.

This is their first try-out of the plans they have drawn, a first physical check that their measurements are correct and the jigsaw puzzle will go together. I suspect that for such experienced craftsmen it will also highlight any parts of the construction which are likely to be problematic when they make the real thing.

 

 

 

It is not quite, but very nearly finished - more photos in the photo album.

In modern architectural practice this physical model-making is gradually being replaced by computer modeling which in some ways could be seen to be faster and more accurate. However, I regularly do research training at Sint Lucas School of Architecture, Brussels, and equally regularly the lecturers who I teach speak out against it. They feel you learn much more about the building you are planning through the physical making of a model. Once you have that experience, you can then transfer that knowledge to using computer-aided design, but if you start with the computer you can easily create problems.

On the news this morning I heard that Virgin are having to redesign their Formula 1 racing car because the fuel tank is too small to get the car to the end of races. This is the first F1 car to have been completely designed on a computer to save money on the making and testing of physical prototypes.

Work plans for the Pavilion

The amount of work behind the timber frame buildings that will be constructed in Japan during Kesurokai is awe-inspiring! The latest email from Hannes explains the work plan for the European pavilion...

The carpenters will work in 7 groups of 7 people, mixed Europeans and Japanese with a European head-carpenter for every group. The project will probably take 9 days with 8 hours work per day. [That's a total of just over 3,500 man hours work!]

A little of the wood will be prepared in advance by the Japanese carpenters, but most will be processed during the first two days when everyone will work together, firstly hewing then sawing the timbers. During this time Cornelius and Hannes will prepare the elevation from which the groups will get the measurements they need for the elements they will build.

The groups will then spend around six days, each preparing an element of the building; the walls that run the length of the building, the gables that run across the building, the rafters for the roof ... and the framework for the barbecue! Once all the elements are made the whole building will be put together on the last day like a gigantic wooden puzzle.

And of course whilst this is all happening there will be a parallel project running with the remainder of the carpenters, again mixed Japanese and European groups, working together on the tea house:

Medieval technology via 21st Century technology

Medieval timber framed buildings were massive, beautifully built and many are still standing to this day. All this was achieved using very simple tools and machinery ... and without the sort of standard measuring systems we have today. How? ... well, daisy wheel geometry is believed to be the way in which it was done.

Hannes and Markus spent the weekend working out their geometry, drawing up the plans for the pavilion to be built in Japan. Whilst chatting about this to Hannes on Skype he showed me how you can share your screen with the person you are talking to, which I am afraid I didn't know about ... yes, he's a traditional carpenter and I'm a multimedia designer! Even better, he then revealed this was how he had learned to do daisy wheel geometry. During their first big Kesurokai meeting, UK expert Cormac Seekings explained how it worked via Skype, a laptop computer and a data projector. A fantastic meeting of medieval and modern technologies!

I will ask Cormac for a similar lesson, but the background is that Laurie Smith has studied and measured many hundreds of timber framed buildings and found they conform to a layout that was probably constructed geometrically. On many geometrical symbols can be seen scribed or carved into the timbers which reinforces the theory. So originally many buildings would have been laid out on site with a divider to scribe out reference circles for the layout along with a plumb-bob and chalk line.

Nowadays, plans are made in advance on paper, then a scale model constructed to check accuracy. For Kesurokai this is essential because a cutting list of the timber needed must be sent in advance to Japan so everything is ready when we get there in August. Here is part of the nearly-completed plan:

 

They are currently working on the model and will send me pictures when it is done.

Finally here is a video of French master carpenter Jean-Louis Velentin talking about roof geometry... I am not normally a fan of 'talking head' videos, but he talks with such passion it is quite compelling (or maybe I am just easily seduced by a French accent!)

Tool list and cutting list

Along with the plans for the Pavilion, the team also drew up their tool list and cutting list for the building.

They need an impressive range of tools, many of which are very different to those used in Japan so will have to be sourced, packed and shipped in advance.

2 Pitsaws                      
10 Side axes
10 Hewing axes
11 Chalk lines
+ Chalk in 2 colours
14 Framing squares
7 Plumb bobs
5 Spirit levels
21 Chisels 1½ inch
7 Chisels 5/8 and ¾ inch
21 Mallets    
14 Frame saws
2 Joiner Planers
7 Rebate Planer 1¼ inch
7 Smoothing Planes
7 Anger Bits - ¾ inch or 20 mm
14 Thrust axes / slicks wide
14 Thrust axes / slicks narrow
7 Carpenters Hammers
42 Pencils
42 Rulers
7 Adzes
4 Two-man-Crosscut-saws Fine
4 Two-man-crosscut-saws Rough
1 Froe
7 Hatchets
5 Drawknives
7 Ripsaws / Crosscut Saws

Their cutting list will go over to Amemiya san so appropriate wood can be felled in advance and some of the hewing done. They will need a total of 88m of timber, 48m will be hewed beforehand by the Japanese team and 40m of which they will convert themselves during the two weeks they are there. They will work in 6 teams of 7 people, with two head carpenters (Hannes & Cornel) organising the plans and layout.

Pavilion plans

Plans for the European pavillion are moving ahead and I have been sent new drawings. Here are a couple of them showing the daisy wheel geometry and a German journeyman for scale:

I think the journeyman is standing next to a barbecue and there is some device for suspending something over the fire next to him. Next time I catch Hannes on Skype I will have to ask about that!

The European Pavilion

Here are the initial plans for the pavilion which the European group are going to lead with building. 

It will be made using daisy wheel geometry which it is believed was the traditional method used by medieval European carpenters. I am not going to try to explain it myself, but there is an article here (scroll to the bottom) which gives you the basics and I will ask one of the carpenters if they would write me a blog entry too!

First team meeting

With the plans at the Japanese end being well underway, funding for their side of project has been obtained from the "Green Business Fund" and planning permission has been applied for, the European team met on 16 January to discuss their plans and funding opportunities. The German delegation gathered at Hannes' home and those from further afield 'visited' using Skype -  a laptop computer and a data projector enabling them to talk to the rest of the group!

The initial plans were agreed:

• dates 7-21 August 2010 location nr Enzan, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
• around 40 Japanese craftsmen will attend
• around 30 European craftsmen have expressed an interest in attending (2 French, 8 Czech, 3 UK, 1 Swedish, 15 German, 1 Dutch) plus Nicola as photographer/video recorder
• the Japanese delegation will lead the building of a tea house
• the European delegation will lead the building of a pavilion with barbecue area and table football facilities
• the buildings will be temporary and will travel around colleges in Japan after the event

The Japanese will arrange to collect the European delegation from the airport, take them to the site and provide subsidised food and accommodation. Hannes will organise a group booking for flights to Tokyo to obtain the best price. Everyone will look for funding opportunities within their own countries.