Terunobu Fujimori: Future Friend

I'd like to think that if I had the chance to meet Terunobu Fujimori, we would become good friends. In Japan Fujimori is a well-known figure, however he doesn't really seem to have received the international attention he deserves. In stark contrast to the high-tech image of modern day Japan, Fujimori chooses to work with natural materials - stone, wood, tree bark and most notably, plants.

His structures have included everything from pine trees (above) to roofs and walls covered in chives, dandelions and grass. Don't mistake Fujimori for a green roof guru though; his work is more the result of his aesthetic intentions than energy saving ideals. His style reminds me of houses from a lost world - in a sort of surreal, storybook fantasy, dream-treehouse kind of way.

Fujimori is also one of the founding members of the Roadway Observation Society (ROJO), a group of friends who seek out and document the often overlooked little details of our urban landscape. I love these ROJO photos, it's inspiring me to start my own band of merry wanderers right here in Denver. Maybe I'll even send Fujimori a letter.