Sendai Workshop Group at Yokohama International Port Terminal
This blog documents a two week architectural tour of Tokyo and Sendai by University of Queensland Master of Architecture students. Time in Tokyo was spent exploring the city and its urban fabric and gaining an understanding of the local Japanese culture through visiting local exhibitions and staying in traditional accommodation. Students also had the opportunity to visit and investigate contemporary Japanese architecture, such as the Yokohama International Port Terminal by Foreign Office, Shibaura House by Kazuyo Sejima and Associates and the Sendai Mediatheque by Toyo Ito. In Sendai, students also participated in a two day workshop with Igarashi Laboratory at the Sendai School of Design at Tohoku University. A tour of the Ishinomaki area also gave students a first hand experience of the impact of The Great East Japan Earthquake as well as the recovery and redevelopment efforts by the local and wider Japanese community.
Video featuring Igarashi Laboratory student Tohru Sasaki with S-meme volume 7, demonstrating the accordion-like design of the publication and its two 'faces' - one horizontal and one vertical.
Source: Sendai School of Design Igarashi Laboratory / Youtube, user: onozawamitiko
The workshop findings were included in Igarashi Laboratory's publication S-meme volume 7 - Sendai literature and film and its influence in the portrayal of the city.
University of Queensland students visit places in Brisbane which exhibit similar qualities of space to those explored in Sendai.
Places visited include:
1. Kangaroo Point - Situated on the edge of Brisbane's CBD, this park overlooks the city and the meandering Brisbane River. This park offers a panoramic view of the city from the clifftop and is distinctly separated from the river edge, unlike the Hirosegawa River bank in Sendai.
2. Queens Plaza - A major department store located in the centre of Brisbane's CBD.
3. The Three Monkeys, West End - An example of the type of cafe where students generally gather.
4. Queen Street Mall - The main shopping street in Brisbane located in the heart of Brisbane's CBD, that similarly to Sendai, is pedestrian only.
5. Indooroopilly bushland - Located in a residential suburb in Brisbane, the bushland around Indooroopilly offers a well hidden and secluded hiding spot.
6. Elizabeth Arcade - This compressed and dimly lit arcade is located in the middle of Brisbane's CBD and connects two major streets in the city, aligning with the city grid. Elizabeth Arcade offers a good escape route through the city.
7. PACE library - A quiet environment which offers secluded studying spaces. Unlike the manga cafes in Sendai, the PACE library offer mainly study spaces, rather than recreational zones.
Transparency Within the Work of Toyo Ito & Kazuyo Sejima
The work of Toyo Ito and Kazuyo Sejima represents two versions of contemporary Japanese architecture that explore a number of similar themes. The similarities presented within their work is due not only to cultural influences but is also a result of Sejima’s employment in Ito’s office during her formative years. The major similarities and differences within their work can be seen in Ito’s Sendai Mediatheque and Sejima’s Shibaura House.
An immediate and obvious difference between the two is the presence of a distinct design aesthetic within their body of work. The work of Sejima is characterized by its striking visual lightness with structure and materiality reduced to the bare minimum.[1] This minimalist aesthetic should not however be seen as an indication of a simplistic design but as a means to emphasise other experiences and interactions within spaces. With regards to Ito, an attempt to define a distinct aesthetic present across his range of work is largely irrelevant as his designs escape any overarching classification[2]. Although a distinct aesthetic does not exist over the course of Ito’s career, there has been a gradual shift from internally focused housing projects to large-scale transparent buildings concerned with points of contact between building and environment[3].
This exploration of transparency has been influential in the development of key architectural ideas within both Ito and Sejima’s work. This interest in transparency can be viewed as both a tool to create a connection with the external environment as well as a response to social, cultural and technological changes within a modern society[4]. Both Ito and Sejima achieve this transparency not only through materiality but also planning and structural strategies. The incorporation of open planning into their designs acts to create what Ito describes as a ‘loose condition’ where functions overlap and intersect resulting in a continuous flow between spaces[5]. Where their planning displays a similar core strategy, the structural response differs greatly in its implementation. Ito’s work often overtly displays expressive building structure whilst retaining a degree of transparency that preserves this ‘loose condition’. In contrast to this is Sejima’s manipulation of structure where it is often reduced to the point that spaces appear to float and are defined primarily through experience.
The transparency created by materiality, planning and structure facilitates the relationship between the internal and external environments that is at the core of both Ito and Sejima’s work. This interplay between the interior and exterior can be seen as being directly influenced by traditional Japanese architecture in which a conscious effort is made to create a harmonious relationship with a building’s surroundings[6]. Ito’s work can be seen as an attempt to dissolve the separation between the internal and external environments through visual connections and his use of light and air[7]. Ito also draws inspiration from the natural world in his use of expressive, organic forms contrasted against the orthogonal and austere urban environment. Similarly, Sejima creates spaces that are undoubtedly characterised by an interaction with their surroundings with a distinct effort to draw light into internal spaces.
It is important for the use of transparency to be considered within the context of modern society as a response to social, cultural and technological issues.[8] Both Ito and Sejima’s work departs from the formalism of Modernist architecture in favour of fluid, floating spaces. Ito describes this concept as an architecture that has a ‘floating nature that allows for changes over time (…) because in today’s floating society it is absolutely essential to do away with borders based on simplified functions and establish a relationship of overlapping spaces.’[9] Where Modernism was prescriptive in its assigning of space according to function, Ito and Sejima seek to offer the user the opportunity to determine program according to how they wish to occupy the space. The transparency of their buildings aid in the realisation of this aspiration by dissolving borders in order to create a freedom of movement between spaces.[10] This freedom of movement in turn allows the user greater freedom in their occupation of space and for a buildings function to remain in a constant state of flux.
This concept can be seen in Ito’s experimental art pieces Pao I & Pao II for Tokyo Nomad Girl. These projects, undertaken while Sejima was still working in his office, are a critique of Modernisms inflexibility in the face of contingency and ambiguity and relates to an ever changing, consumerist Japanese society.[11] Pao is a dwelling that seeks to offer a transient space to be occupied by an individual intimately connected with their surroundings.[12] In a modern society where identity is constantly shifting in response to a wide range of influences, a dwelling must also create a space that is indeterminate and ephemeral, a vehicle for changing patterns of occupation.[13]
The dematerialisation and de-emphasis of the architecture undoubtedly had an impact on Sejima although she has expressed a hesitance towards the final iteration of the project[14]. Her criticism is that the modern individual wishes to be in constant contact with their urban surroundings and in the act of wrapping Pao II in cloth, Ito prevents this interaction from occurring[15]. Despite these reservations, it is clear that Sejima shares a desire with Ito to find a place for architecture within modern society where negotiations of identity can occur[16].
The Sendai Mediatheque, completed in 2000, is a multi-purpose public building containing an art gallery, visual image theatre and library[17]. Located within Sendai’s city centre, the Mediatheque is considered one of Ito’s seminal works and represents the manifestation of the major themes explored throughout his career. Similar to the Mediatheque, Shibaura House by Sejima & Associates is located within the dense urban context of Tokyo and is a mixed-use facility containing offices, meeting spaces, conference areas and a public ‘lounge’[18]. It can also be considered as an example of the major themes that Sejima has grappled with over the course of her career. Each project has a similar urban location with a mixed-use program of public, semi-public and private spaces. These projects also display the major themes from Ito and Sejima’s career and as such represent an opportunity to compare and contrast their different approaches.
The initial impression of the Sendai Mediatheque is that it is an extremely ordered, contemporary glass and steel building. This perception is quickly re-assessed upon seeing the varied floor level heights and the organic form of the structural ‘tubes’. The building can be seen as being composed of 3 elements in the skin, floor and tubes[19]. The skin, responsible for our initial perception of the building, is the most visually restrained element and exists primarily as the mediator of the external environment[20]. The visually recessive and extremely ordered nature of this element also acts to create a stark contrast with the varied floor levels and the dynamic tube elements. Ito has used the inherent qualities of each of these elements to create a dynamic and distinctive aesthetic. In contrast to the Mediatheque, Shibaura House is striking in its minimalist aesthetic. Materiality and structure are reduced to the bare minimum resulting in a building that can be seen as a study in the de-materialization of architecture. Where structure and materiality fade away, volumes of space and transparency are accentuated. Although each building displays a similar aesthetic, the subtle differences indicate the way in which Sejima has taken inspiration from Ito’s architectural language and approached it in a new way.
The defining characteristic of both of these buildings is that of visual and spatial transparency. In Shibaura House, this transparency is immediately recognisable and is the result of an orchestrated effort to reduce structure wherever possible. It is understood that the building is supported by this structure, however this reading is secondary to that of the interlocking and overlapping volumes of space that the structure supports. The effect of this is a building in which these spaces are engaged in a continual dialogue with the surrounding urban environment. Similarly, the Mediatheque offers an uninterrupted, transparent external skin that encourages engagement between internal spaces and its surrounding environment. There is, however a difference in the way that this transparency is achieved which is of particular relevance to the resulting spatial qualities. Where Sejima seeks to eliminate structure at every chance, Ito aims to express it. This expression of structure does not impact the flow between spaces, both internal and external, but does manage to disrupt the homogeneity of space through the introduction of the randomly placed tubes[21]. These tubes allow Ito to concentrate structure to 13 points within the floor plan and maintain uninterrupted space across the majority of the building.
Spatial boundaries within both Shibaura House and the Mediatheque are extremely fluid and allow spaces and the functions they contain to ‘float’. This strategy can be clearly seen in Sejima’s manipulation of space in Shibaura House where she creates a series of offset, overlapping, stacked volumes that are understood as part of a larger volume. The sense that all spaces are part of a larger volume acts to encourage movement through the building through the elimination of hierarchy. Movement is also encouraged through visual connections between different volumes of space. These minimalist, indeterminate spaces then call for direct interaction. As Matthew Allen explains, “Blankness calls for active projection, indeterminacy asks for participation and absence of spatial hierarchy requires communal initiative.”[22] The Mediatheque achieves a similar result by offering a ‘universal space’ that is designed to be largely free from permanent structure with traditional building elements such as walls and columns discarded in favour of tubes and lightweight, transparent partitions[23]. These multifunctional tube elements are also important to Ito’s representation of both nature and the ‘information age’. Ito has long been inspired by organic, curved forms and has continually sought to represent nature through architecture[24]. The tube elements in the Mediatheque can be seen as a continuation of this theme with Ito having described them as being ‘like trees’[25]. An additional reading of these tubes sees them as a metaphorical representation of the flow of information in modern society in the way that they transport people, services and data through the building[26].
This comparison of the prevailing architectural themes within the work of Toyo Ito and Kazuyo Sejima allows for a greater understanding of the similarities and differences in their approach to the creation of spaces for modern society.
[10] Koji Taki, “Conversation with Sejima,” El Croquis 77 (1996): 9
[11] “Nomadism,” In-The-World: thoughts on architecture in an ungrounded world, 11.08.2001, http://lowellintheworld.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/nomadism.html
[12] Ibid
[13] Ibid
[14] Ibid
[15] Koji Taki, “Conversation with Sejima,” El Croquis 77 (1996): 9
[16] “Nomadism,” In-The-World: thoughts on architecture in an ungrounded world, 11.08.2001, http://lowellintheworld.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/nomadism.html
[22] Matthew Allen, "Control Yourself! Lifestyle Curation in the Work of Sejima and Nishizawa," in Architecture at the Edge of Everything Else, eds. Esther Choi and Marrikka Trotter (Cambridge, Mass: Work Books, 2010), pg. 24.
Views taken from the Tohoku Shinkansen after returning to Tokyo show the dominance of infrastructure in the urban fabric of Tokyo and their close physical relationship with the residence and commercial buildings.
Destruction caused by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and the role of architectural organisations in the redevelopment of coastal towns in the Tohoku region with particular focus on the Oshika Peninsula, one of the worst affected areas.
On the 11 March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred just off the north east coast of Japan. The earthquake was the highest ever recorded in Japan and caused an unprecedented tsunami of 39m in height. The natural disaster resulted in the loss of over 18 000 lives and caused immense destruction of communities along over 450 kilometres of coast line in the Tohoku region.[1] This essay will discuss the destruction of communities and the issues they face in the redevelopment process. It will then describe the involvement of architects in the reconstruction process and the organisations they have formed, with particular focus on ArchiAid and its involvement in the reconstruction of towns on the Oshika Peninsula.
Whilst a large number prefectures in the region experienced damage, the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima which are located along the north eastern coastline suffered the most devastation and accounted for approximately 80% of the damage caused by the disaster, as can be seen in Figure 1. The effects of the tsunami also caused a meltdown of the nearby Fukushima nuclear power plant, worsening what was already a highly difficult and catastrophic situation.[2] Official statistics state that the disaster caused the destruction of over 395 000 homes, whilst more than 700 000 were partially damaged. Over 55 000 non-residential buildings, such as schools, community centres and hospitals, along with basic infrastructure such as electrical services and roads were also damaged by the disaster.[3]
The provision of emergency housing was a priority immediately after the disaster. Whilst temporary housing was in the process of being constructed, 470 000 people were accommodated in emergency shelters such as schools and community buildings, with friends and relatives and in paid accommodation. As of October 2012, approximately 306 000 people were still housed in temporary accommodation that was a combination of government funded rental housing, social housing and prefabricated temporary housing.[4] Laws state that prefabricated temporary housing is only to be lived in for 2 years, however, due to the slow process of providing permanent housing this has been extended to 3 years and is expected to be extended again.[5]
With the need for temporary accommodation met, focus has now turned to the redevelopment of towns that were almost entirely destroyed in the disaster.[6] Of the damaged area, the northern half is predominately mountainous with small coastal towns, whilst the south is made up of low-lying coastal plains. The southern area is dominated by mid-size cities and rural and coastal towns and villages. Reconstruction of the area faces additional challenges, as it had previously been struggling with economic decline and an aging population. A large proportion of the population have also lost their jobs as they worked in the fishing industry, the infrastructure of which was also severely damaged.[7]
Most town design and housing reconstruction has been facilitated by government and civil engineering “consultants.” The majority of social housing that is being provided resembles a four-storey concrete box and there is concern that these “consultants” have little consideration for the cultural values and identity of place, and are in fact a form of destruction themselves. There are also proposals to relocate housing to higher ground, whilst commercial buildings, predominantly those in the fishing industry, will remain adjacent to the shore. There has been criticism that this will affect the culture of these towns. In response to this, architectural organisations such as KISYN and ArchiAid have been formed to assist in the reconstruction and make the process more cohesive.[8]
ArchiAid is a group of universities and architects (predominantly Tohoku based) that create a network of expertise in the fields of urban planning, reconstruction design consultation, and cultural and educational community care.[9] ArchiAid aims to provide long term assistance for the redevelopment and recovery of areas damaged in the Tohoku disaster, by matching them up with professionals who can provide the required specialist assistance. Its secondary aim is to promote the sharing of knowledge by architects, and to accumulate and create a database of knowledge of disaster recovery that can be used in the future. ArchiAid’s assistance model is based on architecture education bodies in the area supporting and working with visiting architects, at the same time allowing architecture students to gain hands on experience. They tend to do small projects that involve residents and students in a culturally sensitive reconstruction process, the distribution of which can be seen in Figure 2.[10]
ArchiAid’s initiatives play a large role in the redevelopment of the small villages. An example initiative was the “Go to the peninsula” Summer Camp held on the Oshika Peninsula in July 2011. The Oshika Peninsula, in the Miyagi prefecture, was located closest to the earthquake epicentre and experienced the most damage. Its predominantly elderly population was distributed over approximately 30 small villages, the damage of which varied vastly. The Camp was attended by 111 people made up of 15 university teams of architects and students from around the country. Teams did surveys of the villages, documenting the damage and held discussions with residents on possible futures. After the summer camp, students and architects participated in a ‘Disaster prevention collective relocation promotion project’ for “sustainable reconstruction to higher ground.” The project focuses on the reconstruction of housing and industry over the next three years, as well as programs that will promote tourism. Refer to Figures 3 to 6. From these “A Pattern Book for Oshika Peninsula” was developed, documenting villager’s lifestyles to ensure that their culture is incorporated into the reconstruction process, as can be seen in Figures 7 to 10.[11]
ArchiAid has also been involved numerous other projects, which include the building of community centres and schools, and designing master plans for towns. They initiate student build projects and projects that support the redevelopment of local industries, such as the fishing industry. They do surveys of local’s opinions and devise programs for how redevelopment should occur along with frequent exhibitions, workshops and publications of their research.[12]
The Japanese government should be recognised for their efforts in trying to speed up the provision of housing and reconstruction of areas devastated by the Tohoku disaster, however these efforts may be detrimental to local cultures. Whilst efforts by volunteer organisations such as ArchiAid may not be obvious, as they tend to be randomly distributed and small projects, they are still extremely valuable and will hopefully help to preserve the unique traditions and cultures of the areas devastated. ArchiAid’s concept of generating a network of expertise, whilst educating architecture students and creating a resource of knowledge on disaster recovery is unique and may prove to be invaluable in the event of future natural disasters in Japan.
Illustrations
Figure 1: Areas affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
(Source: Japan Disaster - Tohoku Earthquake / TSUNAMI / Nuclear Plant. http://jishin.yamatoblog.net/english%20pages/japan%20disaster%20-%20tohoku%20earthquake%20-%20tsunami%20-%20nuclear%20plant%20 )
Figure 3: Participants of the “Go to the peninsula” Summer Camp 2011
(Source: AAAR 2011)
Figure 4: Students surveying the Oshika area in the Summer Camp
(Source: AAAR 2011)
Figure 5: Oshika Peninsula Support Group meeting with residents
(Source: AAAR 2011)
Figure 6: Oshika Peninsula Support Group doing onsite surveys with residents
(Source: AAAR 2011)
Figure 7: A Pattern Book for Oshika Peninsula
Figure 8: A summary of activities in a seashore village
(Source: A Pattern Book for Oshika Peninsula)
Figure 9: Studies documenting the lifestyles of seashore villages
(Source: A Pattern Book for Oshika Peninsula)
Figure 10: Design proposals for housing that includes traditions and allows for future extensions
(Source: A Pattern Book for Oshika Peninsula)
References
[1] M. Godzik, “Rebuilding housing in Japan's tsunami hit towns and cities,” International Journal of Housing Policy 13, no. 4 (2013): 434. ; SBS, “Japan marks third anniversary of tsunami,” March 11, 2014, http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/11/japan-marks-third-anniversary-tsunami, (Accessed 24 April 2014).
[2] N. Mimura and others, “Damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami – A quick report,” Mitigation and Adaption Strategies for Global Change 16, no. 7 (Oct 2011): 803. ; H. Nakamura, and K. Hino, “The Great East Japan Earthquake. Damage features and reconstruction efforts,” Toshi Keikaku 291, (2011): 17–22, cited in Godzik, International Journal of Housing Policy 13, 434.
[3] MLIT, “White paper on land, infrastructure and transport in Japan 2011,” 2011, http://www.mlit.go.jp/hakusyo/mlit/h22/hakusho/h23/html/k1112000.html ; National Police Agency, “Press information on the damage situation of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and police activities, 24 October 2012,” 2012. http://www.npa.go.jp/archive/keibi/biki/ higaijokyo.pdf , cited in Godzik, International Journal of Housing Policy 13, 435.
[4] Reconstruction Agency, “Current state of reconstruction and reconstruction efforts. 2012 Material 2,” http://www.reconstruction.go.jp/topics/20121016_sanko02.pdf , cited in Godzik, International Journal of Housing Policy 13, 437.
[5] Godzik, International Journal of Housing Policy 13, 438; Discussion with Ayano Toki, Assistant Professor -Tohoku Graduate School of Engineering, Minamisoma, 24 December 2013.
[6] Y. Onoda, “Challenges that lie ahead of reconstruction,” ArchiAid Annual Report 2011, (March 2012): 8-9.
[7] M. Godzik, International Journal of Housing Policy 13, 435-7.
[8] M. Godzik, International Journal of Housing Policy 13, 438-440. ; U. Meyer, “After the Tsunami, at the 'Women’s River',” arcspace.com, http://www.arcspace.com/articles/after-the-tsunami-at-the-womens-river/ (Accessed 24 April 2014). ; K. Rosenfield, "Learning from the Great East Japan Earthquake", ArchDaily, March 12, 2012. http://www.archdaily.com/?p=215667 (accessed 25 Apr 2014).
[9] T. Igarashi, “Exhibition Summary,” in Taro Igarashi, 70 (Sendai: Taro Igarashi Lab, 2012).
This was taken from the Tohoku Shinkansen after arriving at Tokyo Station. The historical roof of Tokyo Station shows a great contrast with the modern high-rise buildings in the background, which shows a coexisting pattern of old and new commonly found on the street of Tokyo.
This was taken at the Shinkansen platform of Sendai Station before departing for Tokyo. The kiosk shown here is typical and can be found in almost every major Japanese train platform. They, along with Japan's ubiquitous vending machines and convenient stores, reflect the Japanese consumer culture.
Monamisoma assembly hall
A meeting was held in the Monamisoma assembly hall with the village residents who showed before and after photos of the area. They explained that most had had to leave their home towns due to the high radioactive levels and had been living in the temporary village for almost 3 years. They expected to live there another 3 years when they hoped that radioactive levels would be low enough to allow them to return to their homes.
They were highly hospitable hosts who treated us to a festive party with Christmas cake and the village leader took his duty of topping up our glasses with sake extremely seriously!
The temporary village has an assembly hall with a timber tower outside of it, which was done by Taro Igarashi Laboratory from the Tohoku University School of Engineering.
The exterior of the hall is decorated with murals done by the artist Naoyoshi Hikosaka. The murals are based on the words "fukkatsu" (resurrection), "Minamisoma", "Fukushima" and "Rebirth" and Hikosaka states that this is to insert hope for the resurrection of Fukushima.
The Minamisoma Temporary Housing project, in Minamisoma, which was done by Haryu Wood Studio. The housing provides accommodation for those who’s houses were destroyed in the Fukushima earthquake or tsunami, and cannot return to their home towns due to the dangerously high radiation levels.
A sea wall designed to protect housing from tsunamis with floors of destroyed houses. However, the sea wall provided little protection as the tsunami was much higher than it. Currently there is debate over where sea wall heights should be raised or not.
Supporters state that higher walls will protect them from most smaller tsunamis, whilst those against the sea walls argue that they won’t be able to see larger tsunamis (that would go over the sea wall) coming and wouldn’t know that they needed to evacuate. There are also arguments against higher sea walls as many locals, such as fishermen, feel that they will impact the environment and their livelihoods.
The area had been closed to the public due to dangerously high radioactive levels and had only just recently been opened. The area was currently being cleaned up, as very little clean up could be done initially after the disaster due to the high radioactive levels. The area had largely remained untouched for almost 3 years and was like a snapshot of the area immediately after the disaster.
The Fukushima coastal area was also damaged by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Many houses and businesses in the area had been destroyed in the disaster and those that weren’t had been abandoned due to the radiation leak of the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
