the coherent ramblings of an architecture student: October 2013

Tuesday 8 October 2013

5. Implementation and further direction

Perhaps it would be prudent at this stage to take a step back and appreciate where the research has taken me. While steps in this journey may be somewhat convoluted, and for some steps currently undocumented, it has all been leading to a development in my understand of architecture. By starting with Tadao Ando, and attempting to understand the man and his architecture, I have been able to pinpoint certain fundamental strengths in parts of his methodology. Whilst it is an imperative for me to develop my own unique architectural language, it makes sense to take lessons from the best.

Phenomenology, and its philosophy, is something that I feel I have barely pierced the surface of. This being said, it is definitely a tool I feel could be utilised in the future. It is perhaps one that does need to be utilised.

I think Ando highlights my concerns in the video below.

"I believe that architecture is fundamentally a public space, where people can gather and communicate, think about the history, think about the human beings, or the world. I believe in architecture creating a space like that. All architecture has a public nature."

Understanding architecture from the perspective of the viewer is perhaps something that has found less importance in modern architecture. Architecture is perhaps becoming more focused on the form of a building, rather than the people that inhabit that building. If anything, this is one of the best insights to take from this research process. With this in mind, perhaps my future processes can start to take a closer look at reconnecting people with the architecture that they dwell within.

References:

Rao, A, Japanese Architect, Tadao Ando, CNN Talk Asia, 2006 - viewed 21 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuyudjfUdM>

4.3 Therme Vals

Photo from ArchDaily © http://www.archdaily.com/13358/the-therme-vals/

Architects: Peter Zumthor, with Marc Loeliger, Thomas Durisch and Rainer Weitschies

Location: Graubunden Canton, Switzerland

Photographs: Courtesy of ArchDaily

The Therme Vals is a good example of the phenomenological perspective being utilised to more of a sensory extent. Relying on more than just light, Peter Zumthor explores how the other senses, other than sight, can be manipulated to further develop the experience of the beholder.

With the reduction of light, one relies more on the other senses

The building is also a journey, containing many unique spaces

Over exposure also is utilised to heighten the other senses

References:

"The Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor" 11 Feb 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 01 Oct 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/13358>

4.2 Jewish Museum

Photo from ArchDaily © BitterBredt

Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Location: Berlin, Germany
Photographs: Courtesy of ArchDaily

Perhaps one of the greatest examples of multiple phenomenological experiences available in a building, is within the Jewish Holocaust Museum in Berlin. Unlike the Church of Light, which tied its phenomenological experience into the function of the building, the Jewish Holocaust Museum was built with the sole intention of telling a story - that of the Jewish lifestyle before, during and after the holocaust (Kroll, 2010).

The building itself is a journey that must be undertaken. Each part of the museum is designed to tell a certain story, and through phenomenological effects, Daniel Libeskind is capable of placing the viewer in exactly the frame of mind they should be. Through the clever use of light and materials, Libeskind gives a very real perspective of the experiences of a Jewish person during the Holocaust.

Bleak surroundings of concrete, interspersed with darkness

Darkness, with a ray of light, or hope

New growth and life, but also the presence of scars

References:

Kroll, Andrew. "AD Classics: Jewish Museum, Berlin / Daniel Libeskind" 25 Nov 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 Sept 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/91273>

4.1 House in Hokkaido

Photo from ArchDaily © http://www.archdaily.com/322830/meme-experimental-house-kengo-kuma-associates/

Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates

Location: Hokkaido Prefecture, Hiroo District, Taiki, Memu, Japan

Photographs: Courtesy of ArchDaily

This building, by Kengo Kuma is an experimentation into traditional housing and traditionally themed concepts. While the construction building itself is quite straightforward, the concept behind placing a house in a field is not. Designed so that the user is placed in a very intimate relationship with the environment, the lighting within the house is very dependent on the lighting outside. While from a phenomenological perspective this building may not have the obvious characteristics pertaining to the typology of buildings I am investigating, I feel this building is worth mentioning. Through the simplest of techniques, Kuma is engaging the inhabitant into a relationship with nature, creating an immersive experience.

Photo from ArchDaily

References:

"Même – Experimental House / Kengo Kuma & Associates" 23 Jan 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Sept 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/322830>

4. Phenomenological effects: Ando and onwards

There are multiple concepts at work in Tadao Ando's architecture. However, I feel I must focus on one specifically such as the manipulation of light, and by association, Phenomenology. Phenomenology in my opinion is best explained in the words of Juhani Pallasmaan:

“Phenomenology strives to depict phenomena appealing directly to the consciousness as such without any theories and categories taken from the natural sciences or psychology. Phenomenology thus means examining a phenomenon of the consciousness in its own dimension of consciousness.” (Nesbitt, 1996)

Ando's architectural works are rich in phenomenological experiences. It is this factor that I think has has such appeal in Ando's work. In each project, Ando has a very specific idea of not only how a particular space with function, but also a great understanding of the phenomenological effects that will be present.

Take for instance, the Church of Light, built by Ando in 1989. Ando has a clear focus in his mind on what a visitor to the church will likely experience. Someone going to the church to pray, will be immersed in the light from the cross aperture in the wall. This is a very deliberate effect that Ando wants to expose the viewer to. He does not just wish to understand the physical effects that the viewer is exposed to, but also delves deeper into what religious effects can be experienced.

From here, my next step is to look at other architectural buildings or forms that exhibit a certain level understanding of phenomenology, and utilise such via the use of light.

References:

Buntrock, D, Materials and meaning in contemporary Japanese architecture: tradition and today, Routledge, New York, NY, 2010.

Frampton, K & Ando, T, Tadao Ando: buildings, projects, writings, Rizzoli, New York, 1984.

Kroll, Andrew. "AD Classics: Church of the Light / Tadao Ando" 06 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 22 Sept 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/101260>

Nesbitt, K, Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture: An Anthology of Architectural Theory 1965 - 1995, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1996.

Rao, A, Japanese Architect, Tadao Ando, CNN Talk Asia, 2006 - viewed 21 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuyudjfUdM>

3. Concrete and the Azuma House

Bombing of Osaka

Photo from Wikimedia Commons © http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Osaka_after_the_1945_air_raid

Tadao Ando's choice to break from the traditional materials employed in Japanese architecture is probably one of the reasons his work is so universally accepted. His choice to utilise concrete in the majority of his work is perhaps influenced by the world that he grew up in - post-WWII Osaka - a city that had seen much destruction. While much of what was being rebuilt was traditional, some of the new construction was taking cues from modern western architecture, and employing modern building materials such as concrete. Concrete also offered Ando the permanency and longevity that traditional building materials did not. It is perhaps his desire to see his buildings stand the test of time, from both natural and man-made disasters, that 'cemented' his initial exploration with concrete. Ando's architecture is probably best described as a marriage of traditional Japanese architecture, and modern architecture.

Courtyard

Photo from Wikimedia Commons © http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/File:Azuma12

The Row House (Azuma house), as one of Ando's earliest works, I think is probably one of the best examples to use to understand his early development of his architectural language. The Azuma house was built in Osaka in 1976, on a very narrow plot that was surrounded by traditional houses, and was in fact itself replacing a traditional house. Built almost entirely from concrete, this is a great example of Ando's use of contemporary materials with traditional Japanese concepts. Despite the fact that the house is enclosed within the confines of thick concrete walls, the light from the open-air courtyard coupled with the simple geometric planes and rough finish of the concrete, combine in a very meaningful way. The simplicity of the materiality allows ones eye to be drawn to the exposure of the inner courtyard, in such a way that the building exudes rich spatial qualities. These qualities are all focused on creating a space in which the individual has complete privacy, and has their own personal refuge within the city.

References:

Baek, J, The sublime and the Azuma House by Tadao Ando, arq: Architectural Research Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 149-157, 2004.

Bognar, B, Japanese architecture II, St. Martins Press, New York, NY, 1992.

Buntrock, D, Materials and meaning in contemporary Japanese architecture: tradition and today, Routledge, New York, NY, 2010.
Frampton, K & Ando, T, Tadao Ando: buildings, projects, writings, Rizzoli, New York, 1984.

Rao, A. Japanese Architect, Tadao Ando, CNN Talk Asia, 2006 - viewed 21 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuyudjfUdM>

2. Touching on Japanese Architectural Concepts

Beginning with Tadao Ando, I attempted to take the next step of trying to understand his techniques. Part of this step is attempting to understand why his architecture is so popular, not just in Japan, but throughout the world. Perhaps the simplest way of analysing Ando’s work is trying to understand what cues he has taken from traditional Japanese architecture. Traditional Japanese architecture is a language that has been developing for centuries, and while this description does not do it justice, it is necessary to condense these observations. Traditional architecture in Japan has deeply rooted connections with nature and the Japanese culture. According to Ando, “Japanese architecture is supported by the sense of nature, and Japanese people" (CNN Talk Asia - Tadao Ando, 2006). Essentially, its architecture is probably best described as a form of expression through the simplest of means. As with Japanese architecture, Ando chooses to employ within his architecture a strong connection with nature, through simple geometric forms.

Koshino House

References:

Baek, J, The sublime and the Azuma House by Tadao Ando, arq: Architectural Research Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 149-157, 2004.

Bognar, B, Japanese architecture II, St. Martins Press, New York, NY, 1992.

Rao, A. Japanese Architect, Tadao Ando, CNN Talk Asia, 2006 - viewed 21 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruuyudjfUdM>

Monday 7 October 2013

1. Inspiration: Tadao Ando

Japanese architect Tadao Ando is one of my favourite architects to date. Born in 1941, Ando worked briefly as a truck driver and a professional boxer. Mostly self-taught, Ando opened his own office in 1969. Ando is now a world renowned architect and a Pritzker Prize recipient, known for his trademark use and development of concrete, thoughtful treatment of light, and underlying appreciation for nature. It is the mastery of these three aspects that I believe has made Ando’s work so popular. Not one of his works relies on a single aspect to heavily carry the building, but rather a careful composition of all three.

Azuma House

What piqued my interest in Ando initially was his Row House (Azuma House) in Osaka. While the building is constructed largely of concrete, it has this amazing presence of nature within the confines of the exterior walls. It is trying to gain an insight into the techniques and concepts behind a building such as the Azuma House that I seek to do.

References:

Allen, Katherine. "Happy Birthday Tadao Ando!" 13 Sep 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 20 Sept 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/427695>

Baek, J, The sublime and the Azuma House by Tadao Ando, arq: Architectural Research Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 149-157, 2004.

Bognar, B, Japanese architecture II, St. Martins Press, New York, NY, 1992.

Frampton, K & Ando, T, Tadao Ando: buildings, projects, writings, Rizzoli, New York, 1984.