COD Japan Conference 2011: Tokyo, The International Forum by Rafael Viñoly

We toured the building with two of the architects from the local architecture firm who collaborated on the project.  The project was more complex, and the central atrium space that has been so widely published, was warmer and more inviting than I expected.  The site plan was the key to winning the project according to the local architects.

The simple box of performance and convention spaces fronts onto the central business district. The now familiar fish-shaped atrium sits tight against a rail line on one side and on the other side creates an outdoor gathering space between this atrium and the performance house.  Enclosed bridges connect the ‘fish’ atrium to the performance venues.

The ‘fish’ is a tour de force of structure and light and is truly beautiful to walk through.  It is curious that it is so disconnected from the theaters and convention spaces; not really serving as a lobby for either.  Its prime role appears to be as an atrium for a small group of people to pass through to get to the narrow band of small conference rooms bordering the rail tracks.  It also functions as a dramatic light fixture in the city.  The quality of this light-filled space running alongside the entire outdoor gathering space is what makes the experience so special day and night.  The local architects noted that Tadao Ando had suggested the ‘fish’ be filled in with glass floors to make the large atrium more useful–and profitable.

The theaters are another challenge. With an understandable desire to have their public entries overlook the central business district on one side and the outdoor courtyard on the other, the entry sequence up to the theaters contorts one way, then another.  Ultimately, this sequence is a regrettable let-down compared to the marvelous ‘fish’.  The same can be said for the theaters themselves, though I suppose one goes to the theater for the show more than the quality of the space.  In the end, the lasting memory is of the grand spectacle of beautiful architecture in the atrium space.  As a visitor to an event, it is conceivable one might miss this tour de force and wonder what all the architects are excited about.

Jim Childress, FAIA

(Photos courtesy of Jim Childress and Ann Thompson)

COD Japan Conference 2011: Tokyo, Day One (Part 2)

For the second lecture on the first day we were honored to have Fumihiko Maki, Hon FAIA.   The title of his talk was Fond Project Memories

Before showing his work he gave his view of the world of architecture after 60 years of practice.  He noted that modern architecture has developed a common universal language, similar to how English has developed into a global language.  However, he noted that meaning, in architecture, was achieved through adding a layer of type and place to this universal language.  He also noted that each individual should have his own religion, and that art came from this.   However, in the end, he felt that while tastes will vary, what delights us (such as a cozy corner with soft light) is common to all of us.  I was touched by his admission that it is very hard to know where to begin on any project.

He summed up his overview with these observations:

Time and Architecture

Time offers a fertile ground for personal memories and experiences

Time is a mediator between city and architecture

Time is the final judge of architecture

Space and Architecture

Space accommodates a given function and generates new uses

Space has no differentiation between interior and exterior

Space, not form, fosters delight (venustas)  for people

“and that”, he said, “is the end of my academic presentation.”

Jim Childress, FAIA

(photos courtesy of Jim Childress)

COD Japan Conference 2011: Tokyo, Day One

We began the first day of the COD Japan conference with two lectures, held on the 45th floor of the Mori Building at Roppongi Hills, designed by KPF.  It was a great vantage point to look down on buildings visited in the last few days.   The first lecture was by Masami Kobayashi of Meiji University.  The title of his talk was Japan & the Tohoku Rebuilding Efforts.

Professor Kobayashi described how Tokyo had grown through centuries of what can only be called calamities– wars, fires, and earthquakes. Parts of the city were damaged or destroyed and then rebuilt.  The city, therefore, has the texture of many eras of development layered on top of one another, creating a weaving of old and new, dense development and open space.  He described it as a ‘salami pizza city’.

He went on to describe the enormous damage caused in eastern Japan by the recent (March, 2011) earthquake and tsunami.  In helping with the reconstruction of the coastal towns destroyed by the tsunami he was finding a unique role for architects.   The key, long-term issues are where and how to restore the communities that were destroyed.  One key issue he and others are struggling with is that if you build a sea wall high enough to protect a community, you separate them from their key asset, the sea.  The other key issue is a tsunami often destroys part of a community (the part lowest and closest to the ocean), leaving developments further back or on hillsides unharmed.  The challenge arises in how to integrate sections of rebuilt areas with the older surviving ones.

Through charettes, his team of students and faculty are working to find alternate solutions.  One idea is to raise the land; sounds simpler than it probably is.  Another idea is to redevelop the low land but provide clear and easy paths out for people, i.e., lose buildings in future tsunamis but not lives.  Yet another solution explored how to break a sea wall into sections that would break up waves yet provide views.  I was impresses that his group was working toward real solutions to complex, community-oriented issues.  The quality of life obtained in the end for the inhabitants, the fabric of the community, was equally as important as the civil engineering solution to the problem.

The second lecture follows….

Jim Childress FAIA

COD Japan Conference 2011: Tokyo, The National Art Center by Kisho Kurokawa

Another highlight of the day was a visit to the The National Art Center, by Kisho Kurokawa in the Art Triangle of the Roppongi area of Tokyo.  On the site of an old army barracks, the building’s glass front meanders around the entry and forms one side of a small urban garden.  The other side is enclosed by a modern renovation of a small remnant of the barracks.  The curving glass curtain wall, with fritted glass sun shades,  seems so simple but must have been a challenge to build.  The catwalks on the inside are unfortunate but I assume are required for glass cleaning.

Restaurants, five altogether, include three on top of the concrete cones.  The wall between the public lobby and galleries is comprised of back lit glass and fins of wood.  The galleries are all lit by indirect lighting in coffers, and are especially bright by western standards.  The partitions hang from tracks and sit on adjustable feet so they can be rearranged.  I especially liked the exit lights in the floor.

Jim Childress, FAIA

COD Japan Conference 2011: Tokyo, Design Site by Tadao Ando

One  of today’s highlights was visiting what is called the Art Triangle in the Roppongi  section of Tokyo.  The smallest museum here is the Design Site project by Tadao Ando.  It is a one-story building stretched along the edge of a small urban park, designed by EDAW, with a large commercial complex by SOM on the other side of the park.  As one would expect, it is beautifully detailed.  The roof appears, and feels, like it is steel, with a waterproof coating, and all of the joints ground smooth.  The concrete feels like it has been waxed to a smooth, warm, low-luster sheen.  The back of the building is all concrete with an impossibly long horizontal window cut into it.

Jim Childress, FAIA

Crafting The Future, Japan Conference: Wandering Around Tokyo

The Committee On Design Conference in Japan begins  its first day in Tokyo.   Having never been to Japan, I am struck by how much the city appears similar to almost any city in the world, except there’s a lot more of it.  It seems to stretch to the horizon without any apparent center core.  The vast majority of the architecture is understandably modern.  With the exception of the Imperial Palace area, it appears to have all been built from 1950 on.  I would be hard pressed to say the city feels ‘Japanese’  but it is distinct in how it’s such a wonderful cacophony of buildings all vying for attention.

Some buildings are beautifully crafted, but they are tucked under a viaduct and mixed in cheek to jowl with everything else.   This commercial building with a brise soleil of vertical fins that create an appearance of a white building on one side, transparent in the middle, and black on the other side as you pass by.

I don’t know who designed the buildings and garden below, they are not in the guide books, but they are  as  interesting as the major pieces of architecture.

Others, like the cantilevered box on stilts on the right (below), are just plain weird.  However,  one has to respect the design energy.   Whether you like it personally or not, you have to respect that each are individuals and someone carefully thought about it.

Jim Childress, FAIA

Invitation To The Interior Architecture Committee To Visit Japan With COD

You are all invited to attend the Committee on Design Conference in Japan this November.  If Japan has been on your bucket list, this is a great way to see the best-of-the-best architecture in a short time.  The conference has been planned by our colleagues in the Pacific Northwest along with their extensive contacts in Japan.

The conference registration is open and the information for the event can be accessed through www.aia.org/craftingthefuture.

Specific highlights of the conference you might be interested in include:

1. 10.5 AIA CES (10.5HSW)NWPR Portion,  21.5 AIA CES (9.5HSW, 3SD) COD Portion
2. A keynote talk by 2011 AIA Gold Medal recipient, Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA
3. An all-day tour of Omotesando, known as the ‘architectural fashion catwalk’ of Tokyo, featuring several fashion flagship stores.
4. An all-day tour of Ginza, Tokyo’s exclusive shopping and dining district, and the Tokyo International Forum (Rafael Vinoli, 1996).
5. An all-day tour of the Shinjuku district and its concentration of high density business districts.
6. A visit to the 21^st Century Museum by SANAA as well as the Umimirai Library by Coelacanth K&H Architects, (2011) in Kanazawa.

Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA

Omotesando by UNStudio

Ginza

Tokyo International Forum (Rafael Vinoli, 1996)

Shinjuku District

21st Century Museum by SANAA

Umimirai Library by Coelacanth K&H Architects, (2011)

Speaking from experience these conferences are extremely well organized and full of constant inspiration.  Your batteries will be recharged and you’ll come home with some extraordinary memories.

(One way to help limit the cost of travel is to make use of direct flights from cities on the West Coast to Tokyo. Check the Registration page for more travel tips.)

An Invitation To The Committee on Historic Resources To Visit Japan With COD

You are all invited to attend the Committee on Design Conference in Japan this November.  If Japan has been on your bucket list, this is a great way to see the best-of-the-best architecture in a short time.  The conference has been planned by our colleagues in the Pacific Northwest along with their extensive contacts in Japan.

The conference registration is open and the information for the event can be accessed through www.aia.org/craftingthefuture.

Specific highlights of the conference you might be interested in include:

1. 10.5 AIA CES (10.5HSW)NWPR Portion,  21.5 AIA CES (9.5HSW, 3SD) COD Portion
2. A keynote talk by 2011 AIA Gold Medal recipient, Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA
3. A visit to the Meiji Village, an open air museum highlighting Japanese architecture of the Meiji period (1868-1912)
4. A visit to the Hida Folk Village, an open air museum of 30 farmhouses illustrating traditional architectural styles.
5. A visit to Kenrokuen, one of the three best gardens in Japan.

Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA

Meiji Village

Hida Folk Village

Kenrokuen Garden

Speaking from experience, these conferences are extremely well organized and full of constant inspiration.  Your batteries will be recharged and you’ll come home with some extraordinary memories.

(One way to help limit the cost of travel is to make use of direct flights from cities on the West Coast to Tokyo. Check the Registration page for more travel tips.)

An Invitation To The Committee on Architecture for Education

You are all invited to attend the Committee on Design Conference in Japan this November.  If Japan has been on your bucket list, this is a great way to see the best-of-the-best architecture in a short time.  The conference has been planned by our colleagues in the Pacific Northwest along with their extensive contacts in Japan.

The conference registration is open and the information for the event can be accessed through www.aia.org/craftingthefuture.

Specific highlights of the conference you might be interested in include:

1. 10.5 AIA CES (10.5HSW)NWPR Portion,  21.5 AIA CES (9.5HSW, 3SD) COD Portion
2. A keynote talk by 2011 AIA Gold Medal recipient, Fumihiko Maki, HFAIA.
3.  A banquet at Kengo Kuma’s recently opened Capitol Hotel Tokyu.
4. An all-day tour of educational facilities — including a tour of Fuji Kindergarten led by Tezuka-san of Tezuka Architects– highlighting how  Japanese architects’ innovative designs are influencing teaching environments.

Speaking from experience, these conferences are extremely well-organized and full of constant inspiration.  Your batteries will be recharged and you’ll come home with some extraordinary memories.

(One way to help limit the cost of travel is to make use of direct flights from cities on the West Coast to Tokyo.)

Jim Childress, FAIA   Committee on Design