Instar House is a minimalist three-storey wood & steel structure, which is located on the southern edge of Allenby, a neighbourhood on the border between North York and Toronto. While carefully responds to the needs and lifestyle of the clients, the house has moulted from the small foot-print of the two-and-a-half storey structure that had occupied the site since early 1950s and was infamously nicknamed as half-house.
The evolution of design was based on a clear distinction between the two main volumes which are both stretched east-west: a larger one in grey that contains all the served spaces; and a smaller replica in black that accommodates all the servant spaces. In order to maintain a sense of autonomy all the major glazed openings on the larger volume are connected and the exterior of this modest monolithic mass is rendered in seamless stucco.
The staircase / void which sits on the centre of the larger volume, not only allows for visual communication, also divides each floor level into two sections: on the main floor, a living room on the west and a kitchen with a dining banquette on the east; on the second floor, two bedrooms that are connected through a glass bridge which overlooks the kitchen and provides a shared study area for kids; the third floor has been dedicated to a generous master bedroom with the sleeping zone on one side and a roof top patio on the opposite side where clients can enjoy an outdoor hot-tub while looking towards a beautiful park.
The smaller volume facilitates all the utilities and services: a mechanical and laundry room in the basement; a powder room and the entry foyer on the main floor; a shared bathroom and a laundry chute on the second floor; and a master ensuite on the top.
Adding to the ever-changing public landscape of Times Square, German artist and architect J. Mayer H. has unveiled XXX TIMES SQUARE WITH LOVE, three bright-pink, X-shaped custom lounge chairs that allow visitors to lie back and take in the cacophony of lights and sounds for which Times Square is famous. Originally inspired by the “X-like” intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue, the name also serves as a cheeky reference to the adult theaters and sex shops that once lined the square before its revitalization in the 1990s.
Located on the Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 43rd and 44th streets, each of the three X-shaped chairs is designed to accommodate four people, with each arm of the X becoming its own near-horizontal lounger from which people can take in a new perspective of the city.
Times Square, 1984.. Image Courtesy of Times Square Arts Alliance, Em Pak (Time Square Arts, Times Square Alliance): epak@timessquarenyc.org
For lucky visitors, the chairs provide a moment of leisure not usually associated with the fast-paced streets of Midtown Manhattan. Loungers are encouraged to share their experience on social media using the hashtag #TSqXXX.
“Lying down on XXX allows for a completely different perception of Times Square and its media presence,” said Juergen Mayer H. “The view goes vertical while you are broadcast via many of the public webcams of Times Square looking down on you. And besides your new perspective on the skyline, you might want to snap a selfie of yourself relaxing to share your XXX with friends and family.”
“Mayer H. delivered for us a striking and original street furniture design that not only references Times Square’s X-rated history, but also offers users a very different way of looking at and sharing a place that, on average, is posted on Instagram no fewer than 17,000 times a day,” said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance. “In pedestrian plazas that can be overwhelming at times, XXX offers a clever and calming way to experience them that is new, while referencing the old.”
Competition: Dezeen has teamed up with the Istanbul Design Biennial to offer 20 readers the chance to win a free guided tour of this year’s exhibition (+ slideshow). (more…)
Every one of us has this deep desire to be something. Some want to be a famous writer, other to be undefeatable lawyer, and some other to be CEO of multinational companies. We all have the same chance to achieve our dream, or don’t we?
If you have anxiety disorder, you may disagree. The anxiety attacks you unpredictably, and it can debilitate your performance in professional career or relationship. The anxiety prevents you from delivering your best, so you have lower chance to success.
But, the world has proven that such thought is not true. Many successful, world class public figures have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder. The list includes Abraham Lincon to Nikola Tesla. How can they achieve their success despite the obvious disadvantage of having anxiety disorder? They have their secret method to cope, and they have shared them to public.
So, if you feel your career, relationship, or reputation is affected by over the top worry and panic, then you will need these advices. 10 public figures from different areas of career have shared their wisdom in overcoming anxiety disorder and achieving their success.
Charles Schulz: Accept the Disorder
Charles often shared his experience with anxiety disorder with media. Once, he told New York Times that he wakes up everyday in a funeral-like atmosphere. People are amazed at how open Charles about his disease. Usually, people with anxiety tend to hide the fact due to embarrassment or fear.
Charles’s second wife, Jean, told the same magazine that Charles believed in Buddhist principle of acceptance. He accepted his disorder without bitterness, that’s why he could talk about his feeling during anxiety openly. He talked about it, but he didn’t complain or resent it. She believed that his acceptance helped him to manage the anxiety. That’s why, even with this disorder, Charles was able to draw the funny and lovable characters of Snoopy and Peanut.
Meredith Finneman: Know Your Trigger
As a CEO for a public relation company, FinePoint, Meredith has to deal with client meeting and sales pitch, often until thrice a day. Once when she was an intern, her anxiety disorder made her speechless and disoriented during a presentation in a meeting. After that disastrous meeting, she cried herself in the bathroom.
However, she refused to give up. After that, she observed herself closely and did her research about anxiety disorder. She found out that her anxiety trigger was public speaking, so she set to work on that area. She picked up toastmaster class to overcome that fear. Now, she was no longer the speechless intern but the CEO with winning sales pitch presentation.
Abraham Lincoln: Journaling
While it was not diagnosed until much later after his death, psychologist and historian tend to agree that Lincoln suffered from anxiety and disorder. The psychologist and historian conclude this diagnosis after reading Lincoln’s correspondence. His mental state was reflected in the letters he wrote. There, he often expressed his grief, fear, and uncertainty towards the situation he was in.
It should’ve been surprising that such a strong figure like Lincoln have this disorder, but he had proven that people with anxiety still can be a fine leader for a country. The letters Lincoln wrote may had an important role for his disorder. When Lincoln poured out his heart in the letters, he was journaling. He tried to understand himself by writing out what happened to him, what he felt, and what he thought. His awareness toward himself and his situation gave him a sense of control that calm his anxiety.
Emma Stone: Channel Anxiety to Fun Activities
Emma knew she suffered anxiety since she was a child. She used to feel immobilized and afraid without any reason. As a result, she seldom go out to play and socialize like a child her age. The anxiety made her life difficult. After getting some help and joining therapy, Emma got better. She even joined an acting club and found her talent in acting.
But, that doesn’t mean the anxiety disappear. Anxiety attack still happens, but now Emma knows how to manage it. Emma believed that anxiety comes from not having control over your surrounding, so she suggest to do an activities you like and master to channel your anxiety. The activities will help you regain confidence and sense of control.
Emma herself like baking, and during filming of Spiderman she often baked cakes to channel her anxiety.
Adele: Encouraging Words from Friends
Adele used to throw up before performance and refuse performance offers in big venue because of her anxiety disorder. Once, she even escaped through fire exit before she couldn’t face the crowd. Afraid of disappointing her fans, she prefered to reject those offers instead. After receiving professional treatment, Adele noticeably got better.
Beside the treatment, Adele confessed that she once got enormous encouragement from Beyonce. She met her in the backstage during a concert. There, Beyonce told Adele that she likes her voice, likening it to God’s voice. Adele was touched with Beyonce’s sincerity. Those words gave her much needed confidence to face her anxiety.
Kate Moss: Love and Being Loved
The world class supermodel received her first success at a young age of 19. She was chosen as the model for Calvin Klein. The experience was life changing for her – both for the better and the worse. While her face was quickly recognized all over the world, Kate herself started to develop anxiety. The job required her to pose quite intimately with male model, and everytime she saw the advertisement she said she would burst in tears. She was unable to leave her house for weeks.
Thankfully, she didn’t let her disorder keep her away from people. She decided to seek treatment, although she thought medication would not heal her. She met friends and kept working although it was difficult, until she met Johny Depp. They fell in love with each other and started a relationship. It was a short lived one, but Kate said it was fulfilling. By loving someone and being loved back, she felt strong enough to fight her anxiety.
Nikola Tesla: Channel Anxiety into Work
Nikola Tesla was known as a genius since childhood. The inventor in energy and robotic science experienced panic and anxiety after the death of his brother when he was five. Since then, Tesla said he got a lot of vision of ‘white flash’. His disorder made him reluctant to go out and socialize, and preferred to stay at home and think.
But, Tesla didn’t let it stop him from success. Instead, he used his ability to think deeply about science. As a result, he invented the electric alternating current – the AC system we use daily for electronic devices.
Oprah Winfrey: Rely on Religion
Oprah had a difficult childhood. She was born in a poor family and experienced sexual abuse that resulted in her giving birth at the tender age of 14. The traumatic experiences led her to suffer from anxiety problem.
Oprah cited that she was able to go through such difficult circumstances by keeping her faith to God. Her faith made her believe that she was not alone and there was someone – God – that would take care of her. After she received her first fame from movie The Color Purple, she started to be active in doing charity and other humanity service. Since then, her fame and fortune rose even more.
Edvard Munch: Turn the Disadvantage into Uniqueness
Maybe you haven’t heard the name Edvard Munch, but I’m sure you know The Scream painting. It is the painting that inspired the movie “Scream” and every Halloween you can spot at least one person wearing “Scream” mask. Seeing from that painting, we can see that Munch painted his own experience of anxiety. Indeed, he also suffered from anxiety disorder.
Munch turned his disadvantage into creativity instead. He painted the experience he got from his disorder – something that not everybody has. It was that uniqueness that makes his paintings stand out from others.
Scarlett Johansson: Encourage Yourself
The sexiest woman alive according to Esquire Woman Magazine, Scarlett Johansson, is another fighter for anxiety disorder. Scarlett confessed that she once felt so anxious when filming her movies, she felt miserable and almost dead. She also couldn’t perform live on stage when she was asked to sing her song when she collaborated with Pete Yorn, said it was different from walking the red carpet, where glamour and blitz mask her insecurity.
Despite her anxiety, Scarlett is always able to finish her filming, no matter how bad her anxiety at the start. She gets through the anxiety with encouragement from none other than herself. She whispers to herself that she can’t keep going like this for five days and she has to find a way to calm herself. This shapes her determination to overcome her anxiety, and the trick works for her. Overcoming her anxiety makes every filming experience rewarding for her.
These 10 public figures have proven that anxiety disorder is not a barrier from success, as long as you know how to manage it. They fought their battle and won. Do you think you will be able to fight your battle too? Tell us about your concern regarding anxiety disorder in the comment section below!
Canadian firm Diamond Schmitt Architects has announced the construction of a concert hall dedicated to American musician Buddy Holly on what would have been his 80th birthday (+ slideshow). (more…)
One of the main challenges in adding new spaces to a pre-existing building is in the dialogue that is generated between the original construction and the new proposal. The different possibilities are infinite and it is the architect who will make the final statement through their choice of design language; they must decide to either emulate the existing architecture, reinterpret it, or to propose a whole new language.
The Fine Arts Museum by Barozzi Veiga is a project that works autonomously, integrating with it’s site in order to generate a dialogue within the public space, while using both ornamentation on the facade and the interior plan composition to establish a common language between the two distinct parts of the museum.
August’s Project of the Month uses this dialogue to produce an equilibrium between the existing and the new construction, reinterpreting the original language and adapting it with detail and delicacy to the urban area which provides it’s context.
Urban Cohesion The main operation of the proposal is the inversion of the program, burying the gallery and the exhibition spaces so that the impact on the street level is minimized, and providing new public spaces by eliminating the boundaries of the site and opening to the public. This alters the Villa to become an open complex, with a dialogue of social and public character between the historic building and it’s neighbors.
Interior Relationship While the exterior operation separates the two volumes in order to liberate the ground floor, the interior strategy works in the opposite way, occupying the entire space so that both parts, the new and the original, are maintained as two elements within the same language, structure, and composition, separated only by the axis of vertical circulation. While the new proposal is an autonomous building, it understands it’s role as an extension by reinterpreting the interior system. The symmetrical structure consists of a central space surrounded by a series of partitions that work in the same way as in the Villa Planta, generating a coherent relationship between both programs and helping to understand the visitor’s path through the building as a whole.
Palladian Ornamentation Along with the programmatic composition, the project also finds temporality through the uniform and simple repetition of a detail in the facade. This ornamental pattern references the original historic architecture, looking for a low-impact relationship between the new and the existing urban context – a dialogue that reinforces the idea of unity without repeating or copying original elements. The way in which the facades are composed and the way in which the ornaments characterize the exterior of the volume reinforces the expressiveness of the building, but at the same time also strengthens its autonomy from the Villa.
“The new Fine Arts Museum is a step further in the continuum established with the Villa and the surrounding garden, and with the dialogue that the whole complex establishes in the city. At the same time, the new extension seeks to express itself as a building with meaning by itself. A building capable of displaying a clear belonging to a place, to a city, but at the same time being able to belong to all places.”
The perforated house interior appeared in a completely rebuilt one-storey villa of the 1980s. The owners, who had been living there for a couple of years with their two sons, already planned a change of the inconvenient layout of rooms.
Plan
Plan
The house was surrounded by vast arboreous garden and had a great location, which finally affected the investors’ decision – instead of constructing a bigger building in a new place, they decided to follow the laborious path of total reconstruction of the existing house. This choice meant that the interior together with installations could be totally rebuilt while the exterior could be left intact.
The design assumed leaving fragments of existing walls; the rest was demolished. The fireplace as the heart of the house remained in its old location, but it was opened from two sides. In Spacelab’s design, a rather nonfunctional living part was changed into a spacious living-room connected with the dining-room and the kitchen. Due to permeation of these areas, the architects cared very much about the kitchen melting into the living-room. A TV set was also not meant to disrupt the subdued character of the living-room, so it was built-in. It was also at that moment that the idea arose to create a graphic perforation in some selected furniture. The perforated theme was repeated in the kitchen and front panels of the wardrobe in the entrance hall. Doors with hidden casing, built-in furniture the same colour of the walls, hidden audio systems – all this was meant to melt into the interior, yielding priority to perforated ornaments. We might say that geometrical patterns took the place of paintings on the walls. Perforation looks different depending on the time of the day and lighting. At night, when the lights in the living room are out and lamps in the rooms at the back are turned on, these perforated walls look like giant lanterns.
Kitchen chairs refer to this motive – geometric quilt is impressed on their seats. Interestingly, the chairs and the table, although they look like the designer’s harmonious matching, are the designs of various firms: Mannequin chairs are products of the Polish company Iker, while the table is a product of the Skandinavian team Muuto.
The most characteristic piece of furniture chosen for this interior is the black armchair RM58 standing in the entrance hall. Designed by Roman Modzelewski, and despite being an icon of Polish design of the 50s, it was not produced in serial production. In 2012 the company Vzór got interested in the reactivation of the historic design of the RM58, and so it found its way into shops. The lamp near the armchair and lamps over the table are Caravaggio Lightyears’ design. In the heart of the house a comfortable Comforty sofa was placed, accompanied by a classic of design – the Gubi lamp. These interior design elements were found in the Ipnotic Store.
Apart from the living part, the bedroom areas were also changed. The rooms of children and parents, formerly adjacent, were relocated in various parts of the house. The kids’ rooms are situated around a separate hallway, which gives all the family members even more privacy. Although the parents’ bathroom is small, it was covered by a mirror wall, optically increasing space. Even the heater hanging on the wall does not disturb the reflection of the interior, as it also has a mirror coating.
The changed house harmonizes well with the philosophy of contemporary hasty family life. The space we live in should give us both an option of temporary seclusion and relaxation on our own terms, as well as an option of intensive life among people in a common comfortable area. This house, after its redevelopment, reflects these ideas.
As one practice among Japan‘s emerging crop of talented architects, Takaharu and Yui Tezuka of Tezuka Architects can boast some highly successful projects; perhaps most notably among their collection of houses, medical buildings, and community buildings is the Fuji Kindergarten. Completed in 2007, the unusual open-air design was so successful that it earned Takaharu Tezukaa spot on stage at TEDxKyoto. In this interview from his series “Japan’s New Masters,” Ebrahim Abdoh speaks to Yui and Takaharu about their formative experiences in the United States and United Kingdom, their design approach, and the unique challenges that come with working in Japan.
Ebrahim Abdoh: What was your earliest memory of wanting to be an architect?
Yui Tezuka: My father was an architect, which didn’t give me much choice. He was working for quite a famous architect. He designed the house in which I was born and grew up in. I loved that house. Instead of playing with plastic doll-houses, my father would often bring back his models with which I played instead… carefully of course. He had a huge collection of architecture textbooks, and there were always magazines like “Domus” lying around. I really enjoyed looking through the pictures and deciding which houses and rooms I liked, and which ones I didn’t like. So before even knowing the word “architect” or knowing what the job entailed, I was already constructing my identity by developing my tastes. There is no one memory, but rather my entire childhood.
Takaharu Tezuka: My father was an architect for a big Japanese company. Like my wife, I too was surrounded by drawings and models. My plan was always to follow in my father’s footsteps, but I found myself drifting away from the 2D world of his drawing board and looking more into architecture books and magazines and building a repertoire of names, terminology and styles. By the time it came to apply to university, architecture already felt like second nature, and I applied to the faculty almost unconsciously. My undergrad was little more than a cakewalk, and my professor told me to go abroad to challenge myself.
TT: Harvard GSD, Princeton, NYC, and University of Pennsylvania. Harvard didn’t like me, but the others accepted me, and I chose U-Penn. I also got a scholarship.
EA: So after you got back to Japan from the States, what happened?
TT: Well the first thing I did was marry Yui.
YT: By the time Takaharu returned, I had already graduated from the Musashi Institute of Technology. He was offered a Job at Richard Rogers in London. Of course I followed him and went to study at UCL Bartlett.
TT: Not friends; he is my master. He is a great master, not a friend, but still we keep in touch. Only a few weeks ago we all had dinner together in Singapore.
EA: What were the most important things you learnt at each stage of your education?
TT: In Japan, I learned logic. At U-penn, I took Alex Wall’s studio. Before then I didn’t know the meaning of “concept.” Before, I used to strap on a concept to my project usually after the design, which is completely wrong of course. But since his studio, I learnt that concept was necessary to make good architecture. He used to say that “design was nothing more than outcome.” Mohsen Mostafavi, who is now the dean of Harvard GSD, used to teach at Penn when I was there. His class taught me that you should use logic to form your concept, and always somehow link it to society. The combination of Mohsen’s classes and Alex Wall’s design studio changed my life completely.
YT: If I’m honest, university was not that life-changing for me. The most important things about architecture I learnt at work, mainly at Richard Rogers.
YT: Sort of… While I was at the Bartlett, every day after classes, I went to Richard Rogers’ office to help out part-time. The office space there is beautiful and looks out directly onto the Thames, so we can enjoy the views. Back then, he had this policy where workers could bring close friends or girlfriends and boyfriends to help out on models and at the same time keep us company. It really felt like one big family.
EA: What would you say are the most valuable lessons you learnt whilst working for Lord Rogers?
TT: Many people who see his work wrongly assume he is a “high-tech” designer. But if there were two things which he spoke of almost always it was “life” and “people.” He was and still is a great humanist. He had very considered ideas about how life should be, and how people should live. I think a lot of my own philosophy of life, not just architecture, comes from him and his vision of the world. Yui is right; it really did feel like a big family over there. No other firm is like that.
EA: Many years on, and with many projects under your belt, do you feel that you can claim your own architectural philosophy and beliefs as your own, or are you finding that you can attribute a lot of them to your masters? Did your own architectural identity survive these powerful educators and influencers?
TT: I would say yes. However I’m not sure “survive” is the right word. Before Penn, I had very little in terms of an “identity,” architecturally. Instead of teaching explicit rules on design, the professors at Penn taught us how to think about architecture. As for Rogers, it’s a little more complicated. Of course he is to me the greatest influence but not in the way you might think. As I said before the two things he really taught me were “life” and “people.” Like him, these are the main parameters I consider in every design project, however the paths we take to enrich both, are different.
YT: That is easy. His mother’s house in Wimbledon. The first time I saw it, I fell in love. I was so moved, that I began to cry. It was so beautiful. It was in that moment that I realized that the most important lesson: that the design concept should always be able to be felt as soon as you enter inside, without any explanation. That is the tell-tale sign of great architecture.
EA: So when your UK visa ran out, and you had to return to Japan, how old were you? Did you already plan to start your firm upon your return? If so, how did you go about finding work?
TT: Actually the decision to start our own firm was a bit out of our hands. You see, the expiration of my work visa coincided with a call from my father, who mentioned to me that my uncle wanted to speak to me about offering us a project design a hospital in Japan… with a budget of $10,000,000. My father actually told my uncle that I was too young and inexperienced and not ready for a project of that scale, so he introduced him to the Kajima Corporation. Needless to say, I was furious. A few days later I flew back to Japan, and the first thing I did was tell my father to call my uncle back and tell him that I was ready. But my father said no again. Anyway, that didn’t stop me. After seeing the brief, we prepared all our drawings and a complete and comprehensive design proposal which I later presented one-on-one to my uncle. He liked it very much but unfortunately he also liked the other firm’s proposal. Anyway, a couple months later I got a call from my uncle saying that the other firm’s estimate came in at $16,000,000. He then asked me if I could do it for 10, to which I said “no problem.”
EA: Were you ready though? Were you in any way happy to leave your job in London?
TT: I had to be ready, I had no choice. As for Rogers, he could have helped me extend my visa, but when I told him I had a project and was seriously considering starting my own business he told me to go. There is one rule at Richard Rogers, and that is if a staff member wants to leave to start his or her own firm, you let that person go and wish them the best. He did say however that if I went bankrupt or if for some reason things didn’t work out, that there’d always be a job for me at his firm. Four years later he came to visit us in Japan, and the first thing he asked was “Are you bankrupt yet?” I laughed, and answered “Not yet.”
EA: What are your ambitions for the near future and also in the longer term?
TT: My long term ambition has always been to design an airport. I was actually trained as an airport designer at Richard Rogers, so I know everything there is to know about airports. As for short-term ambitions… I don’t have the time to think about what I want or would like to do; I am way too busy as it is. I guess finishing all the projects I have going on at the moment.
Sora no Mori clinic (2014). Image Courtesy of Tezuka Architects
EA: You have done many educational buildings and community centers. Did you ever get the chance to design any more hospitals after your first commission? Is it something that interests you?
TT: We did two more hospitals. The last one was the Sora no Mori clinic. It is a fertility clinic for women. Usually these sorts of clinic are found in conventional hospitals. And when you just stick women with these sorts of problems into these air conditioned box rooms in bad buildings, the success rate is never very high. Our clinic is on the island of Okinawa. Okinawa lost most of its forests during WWII when the Americans bombed it. This project is also to promote the revitalization of the forest. We liked the idea of a fertility clinic for both women and the land.
EA: In what ways is your clinic different than others?
TT: There is one very high tech treatment facility surrounded by clusters of pavilions all on ground level and all linked together by lush external courtyards. There are no corridors; you get from one place to the next by walking outside under the canopies. There is a real sense of openness. We also used a lot of timber internally and externally which is extremely rare in a medical facility. This gives our clinic a wholesome and domestic feel which really adds to the women’s wellbeing. Sure enough the pregnancy success rate at our clinic is much higher than the average; such is the power of good design.
TT: I have so many. One would be the Fuji Kindergarten. It’s an oval shaped school. And what was discovered after the project was complete was that the autistic students who attended the school showed little to know symptoms of their condition. Afterwards it was found that confined environments aggravated the symptoms. The Child Chemo house in Kobe is another. The radiation treatment that they have to endure destroys their immune system and they have to be quarantined for 6 months. Half a year away from your parents puts enormous stress on the entire family so we had the idea of surrounding the clinic with little houses that link both together so that families can stay together throughout this period. At the end the plan looked like a little village. This project took eight years, and now that’s it built, it clear to see that once again the survival rate at this children’s oncology clinic is much higher.
EA: So the projects that you are most proud of are the ones that expand the definition of architecture into a sort of cure?
TT: Yes. But these projects are not only cures. Most importantly they helped set new standards. This means that our projects will inspire countless others ones which means far more people will benefit from the innovations we made on just a few projects.
EA: Are there any projects that you are not so proud of?
TT: Yes. One. It’s quite ironic actually. Funnily enough, our biggest design mistake was the house we designed for ourselves. We built it for us and the child we were hoping to have. However after almost 10 years of trying, we gave up and my parents moved in with us instead. Shortly after they moved in, our baby was on the way. Now we live with our son in one bedroom and with the grand-parents downstairs. It is so horribly cramped, you cannot imagine.
EA: Japan is a country that, over the years, has endured a lot of hardship, from natural disasters, to war, terrorism, and economic crises. In spite of all this, it remains the third largest economy with less than 1/10th of China’s population. Words like “gambari” (perseverance) have become part of day-to-day conversation and integral to Japanese culture and philosophy. In your opinion, have hardship and resilience influenced style and architecture in any way?
TT: I would say so, yes. And here’s why. In a mild environment, like in the West, people are fooled into thinking they can control the environment. In Europe architects are very concerned about “comfort” and “ideals.” In Japan, whether it is an earthquake, volcano, typhoon, or tsunami, we are constantly being humbled by Mother Nature. When disaster strikes, your architecture will not save you. We are very aware of the unavoidable, and of our helplessness. And it is only then, with that realization that you learn to truly design with nature, and embrace all of it, from the beautiful to the fatal. I always say “we do not melt in the rain.”
EA: There are some Japanese Modernist principles like “ma” and “oku” which have become very popular. Are there any principles, words or driving concepts that you refer to or use in your designs?
TT: We are not architects who design according to a specific manifesto. There are no rules here. As Japanese architects, our ability to design, how and what we design is all in our genes. My grandfather’s house is in Saga. My family has been there for 350 years, although the house is only a little over a 100 years old. But how we live in that house is so natural. It is better than any modern house I have seen and precedes all the theories, all the famous names and all their work. That house holds so much wisdom.
EA: So if this “wisdom” is part of your genes, does someone like me, who isn’t Japanese, have any chance to acquire that knowledge?
TT: No. And you shouldn’t try. You are something else. In you lies something or maybe even many things that we Japanese will never be able to fully understand. Part of Japan’s success in architecture, is that we do not try to be international; it is far better to be unique. We try to be true to ourselves and our past; we are not seeking to please everyone. And nor should you.
Sig Nordal 