PROJECT TITLE: OKUYAMA
LOCATION: TOKYO, JAPAN
PROJECT TEAM: MARIYA BADEVA, MIKAELA BURBANO, DRIES MATTHIJS, LUXI YANG, YEE LAN, FUMINO UEYAMA, PANG SHUYUE, HANA AITANI
TUTORS: YUMINO YAMADA (SANAA), GONCALO CANTO MONIZ (PORTUGAL), YASUTAKA YOSHIMURA (JAPAN)
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THE SITE
DAIKAN-YAMA HILLSIDE TERRACE TOKYO
People have lived and will continue to live in modern neighbourhoods and sites that represent 20th century urban heritage. Daikan-yama Hillside Terrace in Tokyo, is such an example of a modern architecture and urban masterpiece, designed between 1969 and 1992 by Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki (1928). Through studying this masterpiece in 2021, we explore that modern architectural heritage is not just a symbol or an object frozen in time but a collective form still active, that must be woven into history and context to ensure its future.
© Kaneaki Monma
DAIKAN-YAMA HILLSIDE TERRACE BY FUMIHIKO MAKI
FUMIKO MAKI, ONE OF THE WORLD'S LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTS AND THE PRITZKER AWARD WINNER
WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESIGN OF DAIKAN-YAMA HILLSIDE TERRACE, BUILT IN PHASES BETWEEN 1969 AND 1992.
IN THE PROJECT, MAKI CONSIDERED THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT AS THE CONTEXT OF HISTORY & GEOGRAPHICAL REGION
DEVELOPMENT OF DAIKAN-YAMA
IMAGE CREDITS TO Ⓒ GROUP 5, DOCOMOMO WORKSHOP
THE SITE AND THE URBAN CONTEXT OF TOKYO
Figure Ground Investigations
DEVELOPMENT OF HILLSIDE TERRACE
HILLSIDE TERRACE AND TOKYO -TOPOGRAPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS
COLLECTIVE FORM IN HILLSIDE TERRACE
In terms of collective form and the theory of Maki, several aspects we taken into account: our society is characterized by coexistence and amazingly heteregenous entities and individuals, that we must see our urban society as a dynamic fieLd of interrealed forces , a set of mutually independent variables in a rapidly expanding infinite series. We treat the site noT as a single buildings but use a spatial language which depicts that the complex is a set of interrelated buiidlings that have a reason to be together, considering the human scale of the site.
SITE TOPOGRAPHY
THE spatial language relies on the topography of the site as a potential tool to treat the relinkage of the hillside terrace back to the urban context of Tokyo
In a series of topographical sectionS we sliceD the hillside terrace where we ATTEMPT to understand the physical and visual relationship to the urban context of Tokyo Topogropahy is cruacial for understanding the site and the reason it is like this.The site has strong horizontal presence along the Kuyamate avenue cross sectionally its presence needs to be relinked and redeveloped - it is somehow weak.
Elements of Public Space as a Collective Form in Hillside Terrace
One way to relink the hillside terrace is to treat its plazas and open spaces so this drawing depicts the space that are closer to the human scale experience and the potential of these elements to serve as a compositional tool to relink the site back to the urban context of Tokyo. – the potential of paths, plinths, walls, courtyards and sidewalks as future areas of activity. Spaces of negotiations of potential elements for new paths .
OLD MEETS NEW: VIDEO
Having investigated the site and its characteristics we found it to be highly heterotopic as it is composed of different spatial entities that represent different historical moments such as the asakura house, the garden around it, the burial ground framed by building 'C' and also all these contemporary cultural aspects that were just shown in the video- so heteretopia as a concept of coexistence, of linking culture and nature could be our directional approach to redeveloping the hillside terrace. As a postmodern concept if offers potentials to treat the modern development of hillside to the next level of development both spiritually, physically, visually and phenomenologically.
Linkage is the act by which we unite all the layers of activity and resulting physical form in the city. This collage shows different approaches to Daikanyama
Heterotopic Elements of Hillside Terrace
Foucault uses the term "heterotopia" (French: hétérotopie) to describe spaces
that have more layers of meaning or relationships to other places than
immediately meet the eye. In general, a heterotopia is a physical representation
or approximation of a utopia, or a parallel space. The geographer Edward Soja
has worked with this concept in dialogue with the works of Henri Lefebvre
concerning urban space in the book Thirdspace.
Finding the map of the Asakura residence of 1937 we found interesting functions and elements of spaces that were once part of the site, before the hillside terrace was built and constructed, like playgrounds, tea houses, Japanese archery court etc.
The superimposed layers of old and new
the sequential path
mediating, defining, and repeating, now it’s the time to ask: how are we going to make a sequential path and re-link the Hillside terrace to the urban fabric
2021 WORKSPACE
THE DESIGN PROCESS TO RE-IMAGINE THE SITE IN 2021
Students in Tokyo servED as physical sensors will identify connections to the context and the urban fabric that will enable the International Students to weave them into their designs. It will lead students to explore and experience together the meaning and significance of conservation and preservation of 20th century cultural heritage.
PROPOSAL
RE-LINKING DAIKAN-YAMA
The hillside terrace and its roof system
The potential of the roof system of Hillside Terrace: Addressing the Modernist Motto: "Less is More" by Mies van der Rohe, the flat roof was a hallmark of the Modernist style and creating a pleasing parallelism with the horizontal lines of the windows, doors, and groundline beneath it the roof system is at the core of the project. Utilising the roof as a potential space of action for our project refers to the demand for more public space in future Tokyo which is more and more a shortage in big cities.
THE DIAGRAMS DEPICT THE POTENTIAL OF LINKAGE BETWEEN THE ROOFS OF THE TERRACE AND THE SURROUNDING CITY.
"Sometimes we introduce bridges in order to be able to escape, to do more things with the building..."
Peter Cook
SUPERIMPOSING PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
SITE PLAN
THE NOTION OF INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME
FRAGMENTS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
VERTICAL OKU CONCEPT
The material of the structure is wood, and the connections use mortise and tenon joints. This choice recalls those for the Asakura house and other traditional Japanese buildings. This wooden structure is sustainable; resilient; reversible, and earthquake resistant.
Here the diagram shows this cycle: INSPIRED from the traditional Japanese structures, THERE WILL BE a carpentry workshop at the site. Thus, the local community and younger generations will have the chance to get involved in the design and construction of Okuyama, and maybe later join the conservation and restoration of traditional architectures.
With our proposal, we want to let more people come and experience the spirit of Daikanyama. INTRODUCING new programs to this space, These NEW programs are determined based on the former functions as shown in the old maps, an online survey we made before the mid-review, a governmental survey in Shibuya, and an emphasis on the preservation of intangible culture.
The structure of the system will expand both horizontally and vertically, as shown here. So at last, it may weave tightly into the urban fabric. This reminds us of the old Japanese paintings like this one, in which humans, architecture, and nature are harmoniously fused.
PROPOSING an online collaboration game called “Weave Daikanyama”. THE PROJECT WILL ALLOW People from all around the world TO learn about daikanyama.
From learning topography to learning the Japanese culture, this game will not only promise an evergrowing daikanyama online but also let the story of Daikanyama be spread and preserved in our minds
50 YEARS LATER
FINAL VIDEO
