Toppan’s exhibition house is a strange structure, looking just like the 10.5 cm square Japanese cedar lumber used throughout the exhibition venue, but scaled up dramatically. Produced by a high-tech approach based on printing technology, the house brings fascinating depth to environmental materials. Printed laminates have recently undergone significant progress, and the combination of visual accuracy and texturing has resulted in producing decorative laminates that go further than being indistinguishable from the originals, being produced with an accuracy and consistency that surpasses natural lumber. High affinity with technology has enabled printed laminates to evolve into a new material. Capabilities embedded in the house include LED transparency, sensing of human physical characteristics, and interaction with visitors. The wood-grain labyrinth is an expression of Toppan’s vision for transforming the environment. Inside the house, materials used include sheet material with stepless variation between translucent and non-translucent, achieved by electrical control of crystals in the material. The approach of incorporating sensor-enabled sheet material into the dwelling space is highly consistent with the idea of printing our environment. Through this variety of developments from printing technology, Toppan Printing is making a clear contribution to House Vision.
