Renovating an Entire Japanese Hamlet — An Interview With TEAM Clapton

Akira Yamaguchi is one of the founding members of TEAM Clapton. This construction group does design, renovation, and builds event spaces. Their specialization: their construction sites are open to everybody who wants to help, beginners included. Last year, TEAM Clapton was involved in renovating a small traditional village, transforming it into a small lodging complex with a co-working space. Read on to discover the roots of TEAM Clapton’s “do-it- together” spirit, how it applies to their many projects, the challenges of managing groups of people, and the virtues of traditional Japanese housing.

The “Do-It-Together” Spirit

The construction site is open to all.

TEAM Clapton is a construction group that does design, renovation, and builds event spaces. How would you define TEAM Clapton, and how did you get started?

TEAM Clapton revolves around the concept of “do-it-together.” People are familiar with the term “do-it-yourself,” which is the spirit of trying to do things yourself when you want to build something or change the atmosphere of a place. “Do-it-together” is all about building things with other people: kids, adults, neighbors, friends — all come together to transform a space. When we are working on a project, we live directly…