INFLUENCES BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE WEST IN MODERN ARCHITECTURE
TWO CASE STUDIES ILLUSTRATING SPACE CONCEPTION, DETAILS AND PHILOSOPHY

 

 

 

1	THE GERMAN PAVILION OF THE EXPO 1929
	General view The entrance seen from north The entrance seen from south	Pronounced horizontality violates the expectations of the viewer, trained on Western architecture - it recalls proportions of Japanese edifices; The building is in an intense dialogue with nature - it dissolves in nature; The pond in front of the building recalls Japanese temples, but this pond is rendered rectangular to fit with the building; The building is "de-boxified:" it is more a free assemblage of horizontals and verticals - lines, planes - than a 'real building' of Western architecture; Tectonics is disregarded in expression: the walls don't carry any load, they deny the impression of being organised.
	COMMON COMPOSITIONAL PRINCIPLES OF THE RYOAN-JI AND THE BARCELONA PAVILION - FLOOR PLAN ANALYSIS
	Ryoan-ji Stone Garden, Kyoto German Pavilion, Barcelona	COMPOSITIONAL PRINCIPLES Composition around a void, marked by gravel The surrounding buildings around the void are subordinated to the void - they give vistas to the void There is no axial connection - parts are linked diagonally or freely touching mainly on their corners Views open mainly diagonally There are no defined edges - planes run over the "enclosed" space There is no real spatial enclosure, box - apparently independent horizontal and vertical planes obey or disobey tectonic principles The interior is focused on a particular exterior - gravel (with stones or water), which are partly open (no continuous spatial barrier The proportions of the gravel surface are the same, but in Kyoto the gravel is enriched by "Islands", in Barcelona it is covered with water
	SEQUENTIALITY AND TRANSPARENCE OF INTERIOR SPACES
	German Pavilion, Barcelona Ryoan-ji Temple, Kyoto	There is no axial connection expressing a general order, structural principle Interior spaces are loosely connected, apparently without any order - letting the observer thing that all is done by chance There is no aim, heading towards a spatial catharsis. The viewer's eyes are not let to perceive the end of the space - some corners are showing up, but it is difficult to connect them.
	CHANGING SPATIAL DENSITY, ASYMMETRIC ORGANISATION, NATURE AS FRAME
	German Pavilion, Barcelona Ryoan-ji Stone Garden, Kyoto	The focal surface - gravel with the stones or gravel covered with a thin layer of water, respectively - is enclosed asymmetrically and watched watch by people unilaterally In both cases the man-made enclosure is surrounded by nature rendered irregular and accidental The transition between interior and exterior is gradual by changing spatial density and limitation - layers of semi interior, semi exterior and intimated exterior follow each other from the right side to the left The junction between the dominant horizontal and limiting vertical is smoothened by interpolated elements, bench or steps with changing material, respectively
	THE MOTIVE OF HORIZONTAL, STRECHING OUT ON THE MEETING POINT OF THE INTERIOR AND THE EXTERIOR
	German Pavilion, Barcelona To-ji Temple, Kyoto	Invisible division of space (the end of the eaves, the glass, respectively; Load bearing and filling elements differentiated in material and/or colour; Constant rhythm (columns, mullions); Black-and-white surfaces with slight colouring at certain spots.
	THE CONTACT WITH WATER SURFACES
	German Pavilion, Barcelona Golden Pavilion, Kyoto	The connection of the building to water surfaces is achieved via verandas. Both the veranda of the Golden Pavilion and Barcelona Pavilion has a proportion of height to width 1:1. In both cases there is a pronounced horizontality that expresses tranquillity and intimacy. The transition between interior and water is by interpolation of steps going down. While the Golden Pavilion exposes building materials in their natural irregularity, the Barcelona pavilion is geometrically abstract; perfection is achieved in terms of materials and surfaces.
	LIMITATION OF THE PEBBLE SURFACE
	German Pavilion, Barcelona Ryoan-ji Stone Garden, Kyoto	In both cases the expressive pebble is enclosed by pronounced limiting elements - irregular stones or marble plates, respectively. These spatial limits are made of repeating and gradually recessing surfaces (lines) essentially different in material or finish. These limiting elements emphasise horizontality - in Ryoan-ji it is achieved by the overemphasised roof, in the Barcelona Pavilion it is attained by the marble bench and marble wall behind.
	FLOWING SPACE
	German Pavilion, Barcelona Ryoan-ji Temple, Kyoto	Flowing space blurs the limits between indoor and outdoor space as well as division within interior spaces. The apparently random wall panels block axial views, making systematic comprehension of space impossible - they allow unexpected peeps only, exemplifying the idea of the incomprehensivability of the universe as a whole and the partiality of knowledge. Light and shadow - particularly darkness as an entity - play and important role in this hide-and-seek. Walls are not tectonic, they are like folding screens - in Barcelona they are fixed, touching each other "by chance", in Roan-ji they are moveable. In both cases, however, they are not structural, kept very thin and having a flat, narrative surface. Both buildings are skeletal structures, but the Barcelona Pavilion emphasises this, the Ryoan-ji takes it as a matter of fact.
	OFF-CENTRED SPATIAL FOCUS
	German Pavilion, Barcelona Ryoan-ji Temple, Kyoto	Both the Ryoan-ji and the Barcelona Pavilion are typical buildings without an emphasised geometrical centre. Nevertheless, both of them are having secondary foci, geometrically off-centred. These foci are not approached via an axis of symmetry. They show up behind a screen that limits an unfocused interior space. In both cases these screens are made a vertical moveable panels. The main difference between these two foci is the treatment of light and shadow. The spatial focus in the Barcelona Pavilion is partly lit, the focus in Ryoan-ji is in relative darkness - these two modi correspond to the Western and Japanese way of experience: rational cognition and intuition.
	SPATIAL LAYERING BY SCREENS
	German Pavilion, Barcelona Miyajima Shrine, Itsukushima Island	In both cases spatial layering along an imaginary axis is achieved by screens based on thin elements with the interplay of horizontals and verticals. Semi-transparency is achieved by different means: in the case of Miyajima Shrine different grids block total transparency; in the case of the Barcelona Pavilion glass-reflection and frosted glass make the same effect. Fluidity of space is attained to exemplify the idea of the impossibility of total differentiation, distinction between various entities.
	DETAILS
		NON-REFERENTIAL COLUMN Mies van der Rohe's column is not referring to the human body or elements of architectural history. It is referring to itself only, i.e. it is self-referential.
	Leon Battista Alberti: Santa Maria Novella, Florence, 1456 (facade) Karl Friedrich Schinkel: Altes Museum, Berlin, 1822-30 Jože Plečnik: Staircase leading to Rajska Zach-rada, Hradčani, 1920s	REFERENTIAL COLUMNS Columns of architectural history refer to the human figure (head to the capital, cylinder ot the trunk, etc. gender specifically) or columns of previous periods of architectural history up to Greek antique times.
		THE DOOR DETAILS - SPECIAL 'HINGE' The doors stretch from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling. However, when open, they do not touch the walls: they became independent door-like elements that facilitate the free flow of space. For that sake special hinges were manufactured that connect the door wings to the floor and ceiling. They are dislocated from the corner some 12 centimeters; the circular form suggests rotation.
		THE PEBBLE In both edifices the biggest single surface is the pebble, but in the Ryoan-ji it is structured, "cultivated," having a wave-like or rice-field-like formation, in the Barcelona Pavilion the particles are not structured, but very smooth and under water. Thus, in both cases we encounter the idea of cultured; in the first case it is rough, nature-like (similarly to the idea of Shi-zen nature, as the final outcome of art); in the second case art is artificial, the contrast of nature and therefore cultivation means smooth and geometrically clear-cut surfaces.
		TADAO ANDO' S PEBBLE The pebble is one of the most important common elements of the Ryoan-ji Stone garden, the German Pavilion in Barcelona and the Fine Arts Garden in Kyoto. While the first example is dry, the second has a water surface over the pebble, but without much reflections, this building is richly reflected in the water surface, merging the image of pebble, sky and building reflec-tions. Due to the climate here, the pebble gets a cover up of moss, that is regularly cleaned by a special equipment.