JAILCD2026-014: The Concept and Practice of “Artificial Land” Proposed by Takamasa Yoshizaka—Elucidating the Uniqueness of the Misawa Residence through Analysis of the “Mud House”—

Abstract

This study examines architect Takamasa Yoshizaka’s concept of "Artificial Land" by comparing his later Misawa Residence with earlier works, the Own and Ura Residences. His conceptual arguments for Artificial Land—promoting "liberation of the earth" and "development into urban planning"—were consistent throughout his career. His early residences were highly experimental, focused on testing Corbusian concepts like the Dom-ino System and Modulor through "layering" or "juxtaposition" of units. But, the Misawa Residence, completed 20 years later, lacked this Corbusian-derived discourse. Instead, the residence suggests its distinctive, Instead, the residence suggests its distinctive, integrated, sculptural form, constructed in load-bearing wall RC, stems from Yoshizaka’s own theory of domain, derived from the "Mud House". The challenge for high-rise Artificial Land was to integrate the "shared domain" , which was restricted to the ground level in earlier practices, to ensure environmental equity between floors. The Misawa Residence is interpreted as final experiment to resolve this: an attempt to "replicate and layer" this essential shared ground-level domain throughout the vertical structure. In conclusion, the Misawa Residence's form mimics the sculptural quality of the "Mud House," and its Artificial Land is positioned as an experiment based on the house's domain theory. This marks a critical shift in Yoshizaka's practice from imitating Le Corbusier's philosophy to creating an original, philosophical application derived from his own vision of the primitive dwelling.