Toyo Ito is a Japanese architect whose works are based upon his desire to erase conventional meaning through the use of minimalistic tactics. His techniques centre around removing fixed barriers to create an openness and lightness in his architecture to resemble the likes of air and wind.
Sendai Mediatheque.
One of the highest points of his career led to the creation of this building. The theme behind the design was openness. Through a simplistic grid approach, Ito created an infrastructure that looked highly permeable. His goal was to remove all visual and physical obstructions so that not only the individual functions of the building within was connected but also so that it was connected with the outside. It was a building that did not emphasise the internal and external factors but instead sought to bring them together.
The idea of the building was that every structure had to have a sense of permeability. The beams supporting the building are made to resemble trees as if to grow through the layers instead of being a pillar of support. The beams themselves are made of smaller steel pipes woven together loosely so that they are see through and do not obstruct the views. The only solid aspect of the building is the slabs of concrete serving as the levels. From the outside it looks as if the slabs are floating due to the see through glass walls and hollow beams.
An example of how the beams look.
Tower of Winds.
During the day the tower is clad in metal panes that obstruct the steel core in the centre of the tower. This creates a hazy like feeling that reflect the modern city of metal and dust.
The tower takes a bright turn at night. By powering neon rings and floodlights, the computer system installed in the tower translate sound and wind noise levels. It is a constantly transforming infrastructure that move depending on the wind. As the walls of the tower Blend into the night, the glowing rings seem to float on their own.
These are a series of buildings designed for high end fashion department stores named TOD’s and MIKIMOTO. The design was heavily inspired by trees and their notion of being natural objects that stand by themselves and have a flow of rational force. The building itself has no supporting columns or structures and stands entirely on its own. It is made of a thick combination of concrete and glass, imitating the silhouettes of trees. There is more concrete on the bottom and more glass on the top. It imitates the trees branches as well as natures ability to balance and stand on it’s own. The glass itself is integrated into the concrete instead of being a separate instalment which creates a smooth finish on the walls. The entire building stands like a cage of sorts in the way it is designed instead of being supported by columns.
Iterations.
The iterations explore the caging method similar to the TOD’s building. For structure to stand on their own, the base must be solid and stable and the material cannot be highly malleable. The round structure explores more of the Sendai mediatheque techniques of having hollow structures and allowing maximum light into the building.
The final design was using techniques from all of Ito’s buildings. First, it combines the caging and self standing technique from the department stores as well as the idea of permeability from the Sendai mediatheque. The structure is not solid and allows for the idea to look through the building which also allows maximum light to flow in to the building. The structure is broken into 3 sections which appear to float on their own. This is inspired by the tower of winds as the halo lights look to seem as if they are floating. The materials used were a 300 gsm paper and clear cellophane. The thickness of the paper allows the structure to stand on is own and cellophane was used instead of cling wrap as it is thicker and easier to cut and apply to the model.
