dananrg@yahoo.com (dnrg) wrote in message news:<c1888d06.0306220814.66ce3f7e@posting.google.com>...
> 
> It's the intersection of energy efficiency (non-Japanese) and
> intelligent design of small interior spaces (Japanese) I'm interested
> in.
> 
Personally I think the best Japanese 'use of space' examples are the
older farmhouses. I once stayed at a friend's house waaaaaay out in
the middle of nowhere; it was this really old farm house, and the
walls would open to the outside: one sliding layer on top, one on
bottom. It was very cool. Not energy efficient, but it easily could
be. But even though it was a hot summer night, the air flow through
that house was spectacular. Also, my wife's grandmother (also in
waaaaay rural Japan) has the standard 'walkway' with each room
accessed via sliding doors from a long hall down the back of the
house. Remove all the sliding doors and you've got a massive open
space.

John W.