Positive Olympic Effect, Hareza, Animate Cafe, Higashi Ikebukuro; by Kajima Achitect; 鹿島建設株式会社,

Despite the postponed Olympic event, the preparation has produced a general improvement for public spaces that

could not been possible without the Olympic Games as a desired guest in Tokyo. One, among hundreds, is in this square of Higashi Ikebukuro where the main trade is about anime world. Probably is one of the capital centre in the whole world for people who likes this hobby and all sort of things surrounding merchandise. I am not expert neither interest as you may have guessed.

Here they did this cafe front square with a centered unique design. I think the proposal fit the atmosphere.

 

 

 

Saturday afternoon the square is plenty of young and teenagers who are commercialing freely their goods, caards, games and so on.

Kajima Inc. has realized a massive Urban Development surrounding the plaza; where a tower; a theatre Hall and many Other spaces are born from almost nothing. I have seen even the Tokyo mayor paying visit to one of these one day.

There is free dowanloadable pdf that describe the project here, recently finished; I would say late 2019.

Kajima is one of the mayor Construction Company of Japan; their website here.

The square is called Park, 豊島区中立池袋公園, it is called c

 

 

NICHES in TOKYO land urban landscape 23 wards

I always pass running in front of this little Jinjia and I never noticed since last Sunday I walked instead of run…It was there between 2 properties, probably been there long ago as it is marked with such a respectful vertical column sing. What do you think, is that column appropriate ?

Yoshimoto Mugendai Hall (2006), by …

The infinity narrated by Japanese narrow streets of Shibuya.

Mugendai means “infinity” in Japanese and the symbol ∞, often replaces the word itself in casual Japanese writing.

Some interiors here. from Takagi Planning Office.

Also called Shibuya Beam Hall other pictures at ACT planning, here.

It reminds me some Works of Shin Takamatsu, and it is essentially Japanese Architecture between Fantasy Manga and reality.

Official Page, here.

It is a Performing Art Center, or a Theatre. Wikipedia says.

Probably the architects are named Workshop, here their website.

RCR architects, exhibition in Tokyo until 24 March, 2019, 2 of 2 post. review.

So After I went I re-write a review.

It is free, no ticket. It is in the TOTO Gallery located in the heart of ART and DESIGN area, near Roppongi, TOKYO Midtown.

Great first floor, a lot of not demanding pieces. On the second floor a video of their travel to Nara, and the purpose of which it may be the pavillion they created, paper pavillion whose model can be seen at 1st floor. 24 minutes of video that were too long, almost fell asleep. 5 minutes with some editing would have worked much better. I am sorry we are in Tokyo, not Catalunya here.

On the balcony the weak point of the exhibition, a piece of beams and truss to represent the Japanese wooden craft. Unfortunately RCR architects knowledge of wooden structure seems to be too basic to be exhibited or probably I did not see the connection with their works or…what else? Do they want to persuade Japanese customers to create for them?

Luckily the TOTO Gallery curators have disseminated the glazed window benches with well done books from el croquis (at least a couple) thus anybody can grasp the range of their works along 30 years. Some questions arise. Corten and surroundings spaces sometimes match perfectly like in the vinery or in the athletic field. Sometimes it looks like a forced choice and a different option had may fit better their purpose. Secondly, in a metropolitan are such Tokyo, where a house has a 25-30 life span and a shop less, say from 6 to 15 months, a Corten surface that looks old since the beginning, because rust is immediately linked with passed time, how can Japanese really appreciate their work? Usually an average Japanese wants everything new, old is negative by default.

Now a video of them talking about materials:

here when they joyful hurra!

RCR architects, exhibition in Tokyo until 24 March, 2019, 1 of 2.

These days in Tokyo, a small gallery for little architectural presentations the recipient of Pritzker 2017 , GA Gallery. Architecture are on exhibition with their dreams. Nothing could be far than Tokyo reality with their gigantic firms and developers than them. Nothing could be farest from Tokyo than these dreamers from a 34.000 people, village in Spain. In Tokyo, among the 24 inner cities, arroundissments, or districts or simple wards (KU in Japanese), I do no think there is one with less than 300.000 people.

Despite that, when I saw this specific site, GRIN, I had this idea to relate to them. Especially when I go to train myself on Saturday morning in a athletic field of the suburban areas. It is located in a park and it has something unusual, at least for an European. There are no running tracks, like the usual 8, it is just one and the ground of the field is made by small pieces gravel. Here also many football fields (I mean the European football, called soccer in US) have no grass so on this side no surprise. I found it very nice, the only con is that the day after the rain is not possible to run there, and after a snow it may have to pass a whole week to get in. It is public and that leads to sort of minimal maintenance with some wild spots who are escaping the guardian attention. Also in the track border row of high deciduous leaves trees limits the sight.

On the other side, the RCR guys, grossly get the prize for the use of Corten, as I imagine the material has been spread after their successful use in several projects. Even in a small village near by my hometown in Italy, Corten has been used by local architects for an exterior wall. Surely the Japanese, with their love for new things and sparkly Asian surfaces will not chase something that it is look like old since the beginning, an anti-Japanese excellent taste. On the other side they like variations, randomly variations on surface. The uttermost fetishists of wood veining are living here, in the most sophisticated space and luxury apartments. In this respect the unforeseeable rust design that Corten sports on view may have some appeal in Japanese beauty constellation of peeks and valleys.

 

Japanese architects abroad

Dear reader,

this should be a list of Japanese Architects who have their own office established abroad. It does not matter if they are super famous or just leading an office of two or three people, I encourage to comment on this and add names and web pages. Only those who stands with their own name, they witness there is a life outside of Japan. Not associated, second in chief for those one I would add a different post.

• Toshihiro Oki, Long Island, New York, USA here.
• Ren Ito, a Japanese architect based on Porto, Portugal, here.
• Junko Kirimoto, with Massimo Alvisi, in Rome, Italy, here.
• Takayuki Murakami, Kajika Architecture, in Salt lace City, Utah, USA , here
• Miyako Nairz, she is in Vienna, here.
• Ruy Ohtake is brazilian (born in 1938) but since he comes from the Japanese diaspora, Sao Paolo, here an interview on designboom.

 

 

 

 

 

the underground path to the emperor Palace

I thought it would be nice to visit again the East garden of the emperor Palace in Tokyo. On my way to exit 13b of Ootemachi station wihch is poorest signaled coming from Marounochi line, I noticed quite renovation ongoing, probably following the Tokyo station mayor works.

The path and the quality of work was on primary level, probably work of major Japanese Companies who are tangled with landlords over there (Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei?).

On the right the stone, granite, is alternated on smooth and natural surface.

I underlined graphically the rhythm the path with thin red lines.

On the left, I used the blue thin lines, the different scheme of advertising screens. To note the refined touch on the ceiling where the two paths are detached and do not join each others.

At the end of the path, a nice full crystal elevator was an option to raise to the street level.

 

Wood? where is it?…new Olympic stadium ongoing construction

Coming back to Japan and wanted to swim on along distance I went to the Tokyo Gymnasium who host a fantastic, open to all, 50 metre long swimming pool, clean and perfect as you may expect. (it is Sendagaya station for those interested)

Unfortunately the second time, was on Tuesday, and not checking the days off, I found it there. Strolling around the Gymnasium a creepy view was in the horizon, just behind the beautiful dome of the pool (designed by F.Maki by the way).

Olympic Stadium 2017

if you recall the second competition, won by K.Kuma associated with Taisei Corporation and if I recall well Azuma architects, you may remember nice images full of wood an green. That is decoration, design intent. What is the core of the stadium you are seeing this picture: steel and concrete, and what else would might be?

Aside:

Finding that architect Maki designed the Gymnasium to me it is a reason more to understand why he was chief leader against the original winner project for the new Olympic stadium since your design would be outlaw by the new wave. The funny thing abou that is that always those who were at the beginning of their career the most unbiased it turn out to be the most conservative as the times passes to become a caricature of their own lost value.

 

A link of some “fantastic” they lost to give some money to the Steel and Concrete Japanese construction base moloch companies.

 

The rebirth of a city, L’Aquila, Italian interlude

I was curios to see what was going on, after 8 years from the big earthquake that devastated this City, in the middle of Italy located just 1 hour an half by car from Rome.

I have been gratified by a positive attitude that it is spread all over the citizens. A new mayor was just been elected. The center of the city is an enormous working in progress. I think from 5 to 10 per cent of the palaces are already been repaired accordingly to the new strict anti-seismic regulation. Churches would take longer of course but at least 50 per cent of the real estate goods are under active reparation.

I am sure that in 10 years L’ Aquila will show a full renovated historical centrum more beautiful than the state it was before the earthquake.

A good point also can be made out of new seismical approach that has inundated the city. Not by coincidence at all, in 2009, just few months after the hit, the Law introducing new, more strict rules to consider the effect of seismic forces was introduced in Italy after a long deprecated procrastination under the conservative Italian forces such as building enterprises for instance. More than that, the 15.000 new houses built in less than year under the direction of the Civil Protection absolute power eventually force the Italians to take in consideration the seismic isolation mechanism so well known in Japan under the name of “Menshin”. The effect is touchable still today, the normal “aquilano” – the local citizen – is as informed as a structural engineer about construction mechanism and technologies that cannot be cheated at all.

The unexpected effect is that these days real estate values in L’Aquila are underestimated, because of the earthquake, where in reality they are far better re-built than in other part of Italy! If you zoom on the horizon you can count the number of cranes standing on the top of the centrum.

 

One last input: An unnecessary suggestion to the mayor would be considering to give the outskirt a new urban approach especially where it seems it never had one. To get appeal toward the northern Europe future visitors some efforts must be addressed. Bicycle lanes, clear bus schedule and limitations of traffic speed with the passive dissuaders in critical points to name a few improvements I think L’Aquila deserves.

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History of Architecture in one man, over 90 years old

I discovered this interview with Yona Friedman, and he tell his story that has some links with the book of Arata Isozaki, a historical connection with the dutch Hertzenberger. and some affinities with contemporary postmodernism freedom. Overall is a good way to contextualize the few incipits . and why they were few, that Japanese centralized system had to carry on until 1965, and their future conquered adult architecture life.

A 37 minute interview, slow pace, with a difficult English accent, beside that it is really Amazing. I am sorry if you cannot get the relationship, it is not explicit, you have to know some of the History behind it to get it. It goes into the Japanese debate about National Architecture, their stubborness, the metabolistes. How Tange recognized his influences. This come almost last in the video interview below.

 

 

At the end one should explain why the Australian Mercutt got a Pritzker Prize and not this guy, just because he does not speak with a good English accent? Cheers.