On the work of Ryue Nishizawa
From the time I bought the ticket until today many moons have passed. Back in January (2017, just to make it clear) I read about the lecture by Ryue Nishizawa that the Architecture Foundation was setting up at the Barbican and as a SANAA fan, I got tickets along with a few people from the office. It must be said that I almost forgot about it until last Monday when I got a reminder that Sunday from 7.30pm I will have a date with Nishizawa at the Barbican, me and another 299 people.
The auditorium was packed tonight with no seat to spare. Although featured in many publications and widely cited in many more, the work of Nishizawa is like a snow leopard of the web, fascinating but elusive. There are plenty of images out there but I was curious to hear the ideas which go with those images. To my shame, I do not own any of the books that he co-authored but I did listen to some of his lectures available online and I was really excited to understand his work directly.
From the inception of the presentation, he established the common theme which the audience will follow through the ten projects which he presented. The harmonious juxtaposition between architecture and nature is what defined the presented series of work and at the same time represents a key philosophy guiding his other projects. Through the development of a series of layers, Nishizawa creates spaces which are not forced upon the user. In this sense, the architecture is deconstructed into its physical and representative elements which together form a continuity of space from the wild to the tame while allowing both space and its inhabitants to acknowledge the gradual progression of all the in-between moments. By using the SANAA, Rolex Learning Center project as an example, Nishizawa explains that in his work, the buffer zone is not meant for separation but for continuity... the continuity of a space which moves from a public to a private in a smooth, seamless manner.
For the Learning Centre in Lausanne, the access is not direct from the area surrounding the education facility but from the 'public' areas created by the building levitating and permitting visitors to enter those circular, glazed courtyards. Although still in the public realm, the semi-public space creates a buffer zone of increased tranquillity before entering the Centre. These spaces are the 'door matt'. You can't just Kramer [click for gif if you don't know what I mean] your way into someone's house. Speaking of houses, Nishizawa followes by talking about one of his most acclaimed work, Moriyama House.
As a small-scale interpretation of the surrounding urban fabric, the Moriyama House defines the idea of the buffer zone while adding a complexity to the concept of layering. Here, we can observe a transition not just from the public to the private, as in the case of the Rolex Centre, but from the natural to the anthropic. As it stands, the house/s are located on the edge of the road, on the site of the owner's previous property, in a residential district. Through the adaptation and replication of the urban fabric within the design of the house, Nishizawa creates a mixture between the architecture and nature by distributing the programme in separate units while the spaces of 'in-between' are given to the 'wild'. Each space connects to an outdoor area which, in my view, is inversely proportional to the internal floor area. Furthermore, the structure does not only encapsulate the current uses delivered as requested in the brief but spaces for the potential future. This detail of future gazing further defines the volume of each space by looking at different challenges or opportunities that might arise in the life of the owner. Therefore, in my opinion, the buffer zone extends beyond the physical and representational towards the temporal. In a sense creating a function, 4D architecture manifestation.
Other projects presented during the evening looked at how the buffer zone can assume different shapes, styles and change depending on its materiality; In essence describing the nature of the connection between the internal and external spaces which can be clearly identifiable in the House A, through the complex relation of in and out spaces. By using a retractable roof system and zig-zagging walls, the architect blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor for the benefit of the inhabitants.
With that in mind, skipping several other projects, I move on to the complexity of both the site and client requirements surrounding the Garden & House project in Tokyo. Located between two tall buildings (residential and offices) the site seems to be a forgotten space without a future. However, the same elements which define it as a tough site lead to great architectural opportunities. Through the combination of gardens and living spaces, Nishizawa created a homogenous modern urban habitat which delivers on multiple levels. A series of stacked concrete floor slabs bordered with transparent railings and curtains, this four-storey dwelling is first of all not a place to retire in, check out those stairs, but a space for living with the diversity of the city within a single plot. Generous balconies and terraces push the main living space from the street and by filling the outdoor spaces with greenery, separates it completely from the road, preserving the interior, making the home seem from the outside more like a vertical garden than a house. Privacy is provided through the extensive use of different opacity curtains both on the internal and external areas thus reinforcing the idea of blurred lines.
The ending of the presentation was swift, a bit of a mic drop from Nishizawa, but it left a pleasant feeling of accomplishment and joy as well as a positive atmosphere in the room which soon started buzzing with the departure of people and their intriguing conversations.
The Architecture Foundation will also present Bijoy Jain, director of Studio Mumbai, on the 4th May at the Royal Geography Society. As for Nishizawa, the Barbican's 'The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945' is open until 25th June in the Art Gallery area and feature many great projects from famous Japanese Architects. Book your ticket in advance!
https://www.barbican.org.uk/theatre/event-detail.asp?id=19951&pg=10169
