change the situation

Last month I visited the Kait workshop at The Kanagawa Institute of Technology in Japan by Junya Ishigami Architects. I enjoyed the building very much and I felt Ishigami was different from other architect. 

The building was open to it's surroundings and it was very transparent, but had complex functions. when I look at architecture, I always check relationship between the space and the function. In the Kait workshop, all the function are in one space. So I felt that I wasn't looking at  architecture but walking ion a campus. It was very unique experience.

In many cases, architects start their designs from ambiguous images. At the same time, they study functions, structures, and so on. Some times the designs are changed by functions and some times the functions are changed by designs. To repeat this process many times, architect gradually ajust their design.

I guess Ishigami's first design image was diffirent from other architect images. Many architect first image is the form of buildings. Ishigami's first image doesn't seem to be a form but a situation or scene including human activities. For example five or six young people are chatting in a bright sunlit room or an old man is reading a book in a quiet place and so on.

When many architects try to realize some special form, Ishigami is thinking about what is needed for a scene he imagined. Ishigami tries to realize a scene with minimum structure. 

I remember his words from some lecture. He said that

"if you are in a street, your feeling is different on sunny days or in rainy days. Weather can domantically affect pepple's feeling with small change in temperature or brightness. What I want to do in architecture is match it with the weather, I want to change people's feelings more positively with a samll change in surroundings."

I felt that Ishigami wasn't design a new form but to change the situation.

cozy houses

I wrote about my trip around Karuizawa in previous two articles, on the same trip I visited three houses in Karuizawa area.;Summer House Karuizawa (1933) was designed by Antonin Raymon,The House at Karuizawa (1962) was designed by Junzo Yoshimura and  The Wakita atelier mountain villa(1970) was designed by Junzo Yoshimura.

Each of them were very cozy. I know many cool houses or interesting houses, but I know only a few houses which are snugly warm and comfortable. When I visited those three houses, I felt a sence of familiarity with them  like I had been there many times before. Thinking back, there are three common things among those three cozy houses.

1 Not new 

Those three houses had been constructed at least over 40 years ago. I could find some weathering in many parts of those houses, but I actually like the texture created from enduring the fierce environment.

 2 Not simple 

Those three houses are not simple. The exterior form is compounded by  two or three simple forms. The Interior  is consisted of many different materials,forms and goods. But each different elements make very good harmony. And there are many cozy spots in a small house; bright  widow side desk, warm fire side chair, quiete reading space, and so on. 

3 Not isolated

The three houses have a good harmonious with their surroundings. Looking from the inside to the outside, you can feel a sense of togetherness with the surroundings. 

When I was reading architectural magazines, I noticed that those three things are completely opposite to the latest trends in houses. In architectural magazines, all buildings are new and you can find many simple and eccentric houses.

We architect tend to seek new and photogenic architecture. But on the other hand, the three aspects above, requires us architects to think about other ideas, specifically the rustic qualities, diversity of design and harmonious relationship with its surroundings.

This is difficult to explain through a photo or text, but easy to understand once you are there.

What we really have to do is to seriously think about what is really cozy for our clients.

Two museums in Karuizawa

I wrote about my trip climbing Mt.Asama in a previous article, on the same trip I went to two museums.

One was the  Hiroshi Senju  Museum Karuizawa designed by Japan's leading architect Ryue Nishizawa in 2011 and the other was the Koyama Keizou Museum of Art designed by one of Japan's Modern Masters Togo Murano in 1975. These two museums are separated by over 30 years, but I felt those two museums have very similar ideas. If it was a family, Koyama Keizou Muzeum of Art would be the father of Hiroshi Senju  Museum Karuizawa.

Ryue Nishizawa said:

"I wanted to create a union of a park and space that felt as inviting as a private living room."

I  felt what he said was almost realized in the  Hiroshi Senju  Museum Karuizaw. I  had never visited such a museum before. When I entered the museum I saw a very strange scene. What I saw was that many pictures of waterfalls were laid out at random on a sloped floor. At the same time I  saw alot of greenery in an inner court. The scene was completely different from other museums. I felt the space was not a museum but a park instead. I  walked down along  the angled floor and saw waterfall pictures. I felt like I was a part of flowing water.

 Walking down in the museum, you will reach the bottom. At the bottom, the ceiling was lower than at other points and the end of the floor was rolled back.I guess Mr. Nishizawa attempted to design museum's bottom floor as a place naturally to stop and go back.

After I had the feeling of being water, I felt that I now became a deer.

When you turn back, you will find pictures not about waterfalls but about deer. A series of deer pictures were behind the waterfall pictures that express a story that deer explore from deep forest to downtowns. So, you will go back up with the deer's story.

In many cases, museum and their exhibition have no relationships, but Hiroshi Senju  Museum Karuizawa has strong relationship. I cannot think of Hiroshi Senju's art without this museum, and when I think about this museum, I always remember his art.

This is just my personal opinion,but I feel that Ryue Nishizawa doesn't  like architecture in some aspects.  I guess for many archtects, first step of their design process is to decid the overall form and exterior image. But I guess his process is different. He has some ideal image of people`s behavior or actions, and he attempt to realize those behaviors by minimizing architecture.

After visiting the  Hiroshi Senju  Museum Karuizawa, I visited the Koyama Keizou Muzeum of Art. I felt the idea of flow line was common among these two museums.The Koyama Keizou Muzeum of Art's floor was also sloped and the walls were not straight. If I ever get the chance, I would like to ask Mr. Nishizawa what do you think about  the Koyama Keizou Muzeum of Art.

why do you climb

Two months ago, I climbed Mt.Asama in Nagano prefecture. It was amazing!  I started climbing early in the morning. At the beginning,it was really foggy, but what I saw there was wonderful.  Two or three hours after starting, I watched a cloud running up a steep mountain. I was moved by the beauty of the forms that were created. The spirituality of it all was beyond compare.

 I reached the summit three or four hours later, and the view was breathtaking. The wind howled as a cloud came toward as if to take me away. As it engulfed me I felt a sense of peace and tranquility. This will forever be embedded in my soul.

In 1923 journalist asked famous alpinist George Mallory

― Why do you climb Mt. Everest?

His famous answer was

― Because it is there.

Tried to answers the mysterious question "why do you climb", a few answers are : a good view from the summit, accomplishment or beer after climbing, and so on. But I believe that  George Mallory's answer is on the right track. 

Climbing includes all af the arrangements from preparing at your desk before climbing to washing your shoes after climbing,of course it also include good view and beer. But most importantly the value that you gain cannot be divided amongst others. The experience of one is not the same as others.

No mattere the weather condition or no shops to purchase. I will always climb for the mountain is there waiting for my returen.