Architectural Reflections
Ito's Japan 2013 Memory
Studying the work of architect Toyo Ito is fascinating. An architect of the essential, he always opposed monumental architecture, preferring to create flexible and malleable spaces.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1941, he settled in Japan in the modern Kanto region, often in rivalry with the traditionalism of Kansai.
Toyo Ito is torn between two worlds, like his country and Katsura Palace. His architectural approach covers a wide spectrum of inspiration, from spacecraft to traditional Japanese houses. He extracts the essence of traditional architecture to create a new model of expression.
Drawing inspiration from the world around him, Ito's work can be grouped into four main periods: the "Garden of Light", the "Garden of Winds", the "Garden of Electronic Chips" and the "Contemporary Garden".
Numerous publications, conferences and exhibitions propelled him onto the international scene, and in 2013, at the age of 71, he received the prestigious Pritzker Prize.
Through this thesis, we will look at the Japan that made Toyo Ito an exceptional architect.
A Mediterranean Cultural Space. 2014 Memory
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, before God's creative intervention, the "Earth" was in a state of chaos, formless and empty. By amalgamation with the Greek concept, this represents the initial, undifferentiated and formless confusion of matter and elements, prior to the organization of the world by divine intervention.
"...a man who seeks harmony has a sense of the sacred. There are things that one does not have the right to violate: the secret that is in each being, a great unlimited void where one can lodge or not lodge one's own notion of the sacred - individual - totally individual. This is also called conscience, and it is this tool for measuring responsibilities or effusions, extended from the graspable to the elusive. My certainty is that religious feeling cannot, outside of a tête-à-tête (at home, in peace), emanate from paintings or other representations, but only from an ambiance - an architectural fact - of the landscape. One must be enveloped and not only intellectually interested."
Excerpt from Le Corbusier's words at the inauguration of the Sainte-Marie de La Tourette convent in Éveux.
I chose to present an architecture that unites the Mediterranean, borders, people and the three main religions of our contemporary world.
The "navel" of civilization, the Mediterranean has long represented an economic, scientific, and cultural crossroads between Asia, Africa, and Europe. Since the first signs of monotheism, 11,000 years BC, on the shores of the Mediterranean, man has developed agriculture to meet his vital needs and his beliefs to meet a spiritual need. The Mediterranean participated in the birth of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, three religions that conquered the world with this region as their common starting point.
The project is to bring together these three major religions of our century in a single place: to pray, practice, believe, and share the Mediterranean religion together. This place will be called "A Mediterranean Worship Space."
These three religions share many similarities. Through an abstract approach to forms and customs, I sought to bring together themes essential to these beliefs. To do this, I created two paintings that highlight the tension between the different practices. Through the analysis of my research, we can say that these religions are "similar," that is, they have the same objective: to guide man through divine barriers.
Indeed, the very basis of these three religions is the rereading of sacred texts, which evolve according to interpretations (David, Jesus, Mohammed). Whether one prays standing, kneeling or prostrating, one prays to the same God.
PLU? Friend or Foe. 2016 Memory
Article 1 of the Code of Ethics defines architecture as an expression of culture. This same article reminds us of our missions, both in terms of respect for the environment, its integration, and the harmony of the landscape in which we operate.
With the LCAP and its "permit to do", this does not mean being exempt from the obligation to provide an emergency staircase or to comply with all the standards applicable to the practice of architecture, but rather that the constraints can be adapted to the project, and not the other way around.
Frequently called upon by developers, and lacking the skills to rely on, project architects sometimes accept "turnkey" projects which lock them into carrying out operations focused on themselves, responding to simple functional and regulatory logic.
Architectural project managers should therefore not hesitate to mobilize the skills made available to them: the CAUE, the DDTM, whose opinions help ensure the quality of projects.
We, architects, build the cities of tomorrow and change the face of everyday life by spreading our culture. To do this, it is necessary to take an interest in the professional environment that revolves around our profession, with the aim of handling these constraints with finesse so as not to be subject to them. It is important to demonstrate that there are many solutions adapted to each project. Planning authorities expect knowledge and expertise from us, particularly by opening the debate on PLU regulations.
The problem initially posed in the title does not seem justified and must be re-evaluated in light of the profession.
Indeed, the construction of the city is indisputably part of a regulatory framework. The real challenge then lies in creating an active collaboration where the instructor and the architect work together on the project.