Dehli Grolimund Reconstructs Kazuo Shinohara's Umbrella House at Vitra Campus
Founded in 2019 by Christian Dehli and Andrea Grolimund, the Zurich-based architecture firm Dehli Grolimund has successfully reconstructed Kazuo Shinohara's Umbrella House at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. This timber structure, originally constructed in 1961 in Nerima, Tokyo, spans 55 square meters and exemplifies Shinohara's First Style. From 2020 to 2022, the team meticulously documented, dismantled, and relocated the house, emphasizing site placement, materials, and its future applications. The design includes a compact layout featuring a bathroom, main room, and tatami room, all beneath a 4-meter timber roof. In 2019, the firm published 'Kazuo Shinohara: 3 Houses' and is listed in Wallpaper* Architects' Directory 2026.
Key facts
- Dehli Grolimund is a Zurich-based practice founded in 2019 by Christian Dehli and Andrea Grolimund.
- The practice reconstructed Kazuo Shinohara's Umbrella House at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany.
- The Umbrella House was originally built in 1961 in Nerima, Tokyo.
- The house is 55 square meters and is one of the last remaining examples of Shinohara's First Style.
- The reconstruction occurred between 2020 and 2022.
- Dehli Grolimund published 'Kazuo Shinohara: 3 Houses' in 2019.
- They edited the first English-language translation of Shinohara's 'Residential Architecture'.
- The practice is featured in the Wallpaper* Architects' Directory 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Christian Dehli
- Andrea Grolimund
- Kazuo Shinohara
- Setsu Asakura
- Christian Kerez
Institutions
- Dehli Grolimund
- Vitra Campus
- ETH Zurich
- Herzog & de Meuron
- Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
- BS+EMI
- Wallpaper*
Locations
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Weil am Rhein
- Germany
- Nerima
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Basel