Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has collaborated with forest conservation organization More Trees to produce a set of beautifully packaged and unusually designed building blocks for children.
Tsumiki Architectural Building Blocks
The simple triangle-shaped wooden blocks are called Tsumiki (“wooden blocks” in Japanese). Made of Japanese cedar wood, the elements can be combined and stacked to create small buildings and sculptures.
Known for his explorations of timber construction, Kuma is passionate about the age-old building material. Both the Daiwa Ubiquitous Computing Research Building and the Sunny Hills retail store by Kengo Kuma’s architectural firm, shown below, are indicative of the architect’s passion for working with wood.
“I have loved tsumiki my whole life, ever since I was a young boy. And my dream came true, I designed tsumiki myself, the sort which hadn’t existed before. The set is not a heavy, masonry kind of wood block, but a light, transparent system just like what you see in traditional Japanese architecture”- Kengo Kuma
In the Tsumiki Pavilion – installed on the occasion of Tokyo Design Week – the blocks, in various sizes, were scattered in a grassy square in the center of the Tokyo.
Everyone from small children to adults could enjoy creation, like a pyramid built from blocks made of Japanese timber.
The blocks are available three different sized sets; a 7 piece set, a 13 piece set and a 22 pieces set.
The set of 13 blocks are made from Japanese cedar and manufactured using FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified wood. Not only for children’s play, they make interesting gifts for any fan of architecture and building blocks.
Designed by：Kengo Kuma
Material：Cedar (from Morotsuka Village in Miyazaki）
Size：W12.5㎝ H29.5㎝ D4.5㎝（1 Piece：H11cm W12cm D4cm）
Weight：350ｇ
