#HTE

Japanese House With an Anti-Seismic, Climbable Bookshelf

Earthquakes in Japan are common enough that when I lived there, I saw that most folks had braces between the top of their bookshelves and the ceiling. These were basically spring-loaded closet rods placed vertically that prevented the unit from tipping forward, but did nothing to prevent the books themselves from shaking out of the shelves.

Japanese architect Shinsuke Fujii has designed a house with a built-in bookcase that is tilted, keeping the books in place during quakes. It is also floor-to-ceiling and climbable, as the shelves protrude.

As you can see from this exterior shot, the house was designed with this feature in mind.