The city of Yokohama in Japan, the second biggest city in the country with a population of 3.7 million people, has a very Japanese problem. Earthquakes. Even though this word revives macabre imagery of entire buildings collapsing that most of us have seen on TV, there are many more earthquakes that are not that cataclysmic. Annually, about 1500 earthquakes happen in Japan. If all of them would be that bad, the situation could easily get out of control. Thankfully, most of these earthquakes are mild and they result in causing an unwanted domestic clutter of stuff that falls down from the shelves. Especially books. Thankfully, Japanese architect Shinsuke Fujii has taken a stance against this crime of nature against book lovers.

Earthquakes and books are rivals, but the latter always loses. So Shinsuke Fujii, a Japanese architect, came to the rescue

Shinsuke Fujii, a Japanese architect, is the mind behind this bookshelf. But it’s more than just a bookshelf that is not for those who are afraid of heights. It’s an integral part of the “House in Shinyoshida”, a contemporary house with a slanted wall which serves as the basis for the earthquake-proof bookshelf.

And so the earthquake-proof shelf was born. It’s a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf which was built on a slanted wall, which was purposely done this way

In an area where earthquakes are common, books are always the first casualties to fall down from their place. This bookshelf not only keeps the books intact, but it is, in itself, an essential part of house’s interior.

The form of the bookshelf restructures the living space, thus making it more ‘alive’ and less formal

It’s not only about the books, which in themselves are always a great add-on for every interior. The inclined bookshelf entirely transforms how the space looks.

The bookshelf is huge, therefore a ladder is included.

Yet a huge bookshelf requires readers to have a huge appetite for books

View from the other side of the room

The inclined wall from the outside

The entire “House in Shinyoshida”

People appreciated the looks of it, but were not entirely convinced

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