There’s a show on Japanese television called Kansei! Dream House (“It’s Finished! Dream House”). On it, architects build dream dwellings for regular folks, who do have to foot the bill. And while most of the houses seem OK, some of them are utterly horrible.
Often, the architects are acting under some sort of constraint. Sometimes, they’re working in a small space. Other times, they are trying to appease the residents. And sometimes, they’re just awful architects.
The tragic part is that the people who appear on the show are shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to have these houses built. And once the dream homes are finished, they are broadcasted across the entire country.
The internet — the cruel, cruel internet — is quick to point out if it thinks the houses look dumb (note that it doesn’t always think they do). Take this abnormally thin dream house:
On 2ch, Japan’s largest forum, people began comparing it to a desktop computer. Laughing and pointing ensued.
And then, there was the house that was compared to a barn.
Here’s a barn.
Then there was this house that people began comparing to mushrooms — like out of Super Mario Bros.
Then, they began comparing it to a public toilet.
For reference — you know, in case you’ve never seen a public toilet.
And here is the inside — that is, of the house, not the above toilet.
Up there, the people who live here can eat.
And then, at night, they can sleep up on a platform too.
Like this.
Or this.
Or maybe this.
The internet is so mean!
The public toilet house is perhaps the most infamous abode from Dream House.
This image even popped up online — it’s a Photoshop, but it might sum up the owners’ feelings should they ever venture into a Dream House thread.
Recently, Dream House rolled out its latest disaster. This house, which cost nearly $300,000, is supposed to be modern and stylish. But the resulting home is just… odd.
For starters, it’s shaped like the letter “E”.
It’s also all glass — which isn’t so odd, but this house is right on the street. There’s no fence!
In the bathroom, you can wave at people in the kitchen. Because. Because. Because. Yeah, that’s all I got.
While families often bathe together or in public in Japan, folks do like privacy! Even though there are curtains, this layout puzzled many people online in Japan.
And now that more and more Japanese people are playing Minecraft, folks have been recreating this dream house in the game, saying things like, “I built my dream house in 10 minutes — 290,000 bucks!”
Then, of course, blow the house up.
And for those who don’t play Minecraft, there’s always LEGO.
If you have a couple of hundred grand to burn, and you don’t mind internet cruelty, Kansei! Dream House is frequently looking for individuals looking to build their nightmare home. I mean, dream home.
Pictures: ニュー速, read2ch, 2ch, 話題, 2log-ch, unkar, Rezonator, ２のまとめ, まんはったん、ニュース２ちゃんねる, Dokiyo, @nagian, http://twitpic.com/cmutmj“>@nagian, @LiLiTeA, @tuti_kure, @nobu_tary
Comments
5 responses to “Japanese Dream Homes? No, Nightmare Homes The Internet Hates”
im studying architecture so bear with me –
The pc tower and barn i dont really think are that bad in terms of design. the barn is actually quite nice. the tower is minimalist and efficient though the windows are used in a poor and boring way.
the mushroom with sacrificial altar – now that is just weird. my guess is that the sleeping area was intended to provide a direct view through the roof skylight. i actually do get the feeling that its meant to be a house with spiritual qualities shut away from the world – hence the introverted design and lack of openings.
and the glass E house. yeah, i cant say that the layout works with the location. even the curtains are thin. might work in a more secluded area but i struggle to think japanese people will be comfortable being that exposed. i do think that the bathroom is in the denser portion of the building so it really is only the kitchen which can see into it. not as big as an issue for japan as it is for the west. people arent going to go up to your house randomly in japan and look into your bathroom.
see House NA by sou fujimoto for an example of “good” glass housing in japan.
here i’d like to point out to the minecraft and lego references – a simple looking house isnt necessarily a bad house nor is it an easy house to design. have a look at Farnsworth house by mies van de rohe for an example of simple but beautiful. the E house is definitely strategically planned and not just a glass box. it just pushes the idea of transparency to the extreme is all.
I don’t mind the tower, as it makes good use of the space, but the barn looks terrible. It also looks like it would be a PITA to heat.
Ahh, 2chan. You lot can be hilarious.
The most important question is always:
How suitable is this house in the zombie apocalypse?
Actually, it’s more shaped like the word “HI”.