Book N

The constructed book attempted to take some qualities of the Japanese house and cut book and integrate them in a new design. The main component of the book looked into the basic component of the studied house, which were the voids.

The cover of the book was one continuous piece that wrapped from the binding all the way around, and back to the place of origin. The cover served as a case for the book, reflecting the encasement of the house by the outer shell of the house. It did not close flat to convey the idea of it asking to be opened. The book was bound using the japanese method of stab binding. Once the outermost concealment is unveiled, the cover is revealed. Its pattern consists of 3 layers of mylar pages ironed together into a single one. Each page has the voids that were subtracted from a wall in the house cut out of it. As that page is flipped, two 2-ply bristol sheets follow it, then one mylar and two more bristol after. This is repeated 3 times to represent the 3 layered house and its division by the single mylar pages.

The pattern for the cover of the book was successful in that it represented an important overall concept of the original house, foreshadowing what the rest of the book is going to be about. Also, the stab binding did its job well, providing a secure binding for the book using a traditional Japanese style.The wrapping cover, however was ineffective in that it did not convincingly represent any part of the residence and provided a sort of second cover, causing some confusion. Finally, the size of the book did not correctly depict the house it is a different shape than the house, and makes flipping through the pages difficult.