History (Globalisation And Regionalism) Prof. Snehal Nagarsheth
Regionalism in Architecture Through space-making Elements _________________________________________________________________________________________
By Ishani Tanwar ( UI1315)
“Love one’s locality, pride in its accomplishments, and loyalty to everything in it bring about a state of mind known as regionalism.” -Harwell Hamilton Harris
INTRODUCTION
Regionalism in architecture is about the context and customs of making buildings in a particular region. It revolves around a cultural , climatic and social organization and started to treasure and reflect the particularity of a region, its unique environment, locally available materials, the cultural value the place held, and the life led by the people of the place. Regionalism is many a times confused with vernacularism. It differs to vernacular architecture by incorporating modern building materials and methods. Regionalism can also be seen as a specific part/form of modernism. Regionalism recognizes modernism, but is critical of many of its features, such as its high level of abstraction. Kunio Maekawa and Geoffrey Bawa are two such architects practicing regionalism in two very different contexts of Japan and Sri Lanka respectively. Both coming from elitist backgrounds have a unique way of making their architecture region specific. Adhering to traditional concepts but reinterpreting them for the modern/regional context.
2
BACKGROUND of the ARCHITECTS Kunio Maekawa a Japanese born architect spent most life in Tokyo, Japan before going to Paris, after graduation (in 1928), to work with none other than Le Corbusier. Japanese simple and disciplined living reflects and translates in their building methods and buildings. Kunio Maekawa amalgamates the simple and traditional ethic in his works while also being a key driver of the Japanese Modernist Architecture.
“People change along with the stream of time. But, I believe there must be something which never changes in the philosophy of human being.” -Kunio Maekawa
In the above quote Maekawa talks about the human psychology which with time only alters but never truly changes. The relation between architecture and humans is also only altered which Maekawa brings out truly in his works, by using the traditional methods.
Kunio Maekawa House, 1942
Geoffrey Bawa a Sri Lankan architect was , like Kunio Maekawa , highly personal in his approach, evoking the pleasures of the senses that go hand in hand with the climate, landscape, and culture of ancient Ceylon, Geoffrey Bawa brought together an appreciation of the Western humanist tradition in architecture with needs and lifestyles of his own country. He believed that-
3
“A building can be understood by moving around and through it and by experiencing the modulation and feel the spaces one moves through-from the outside onto verandah, than rooms, passages, courtyards. Architecture cannot be totally explained but must be experienced.� -Geoffrey Bawa Bawa explains the vision of the transition of spaces from the outside and creating the experience as one walks in the spaces.
Lunuganga estate- Landscapes, water-bodies,gardens,along with carefully placed art.
All architects show their true essence when they design their own habitats so nothing made more sense than seeing their own homes to understand their genius.
SITE CONTEXT Kunio Maekawa designed his own house in 1942 ,during the II World war, with the same intimacy and warmth of a traditional Japanese house. The 1942 House, was built in Tokyo Japan with extreme shortage of materials during the war time. This house stands now in The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei City, Tokyo after being carefully relocated together with its small garden.
Amalgamation of a traditional Japanese house in a very modern context and the very evident connect with nature
4
Geoffrey Bawa bought the Lunuganga Estate in 1948 and developed & experimented with it till 1998. Lunuganga was a country home for him and the gardens remained his first muse and experimental lab for years. ​Left to the Lunuganga Trust on his demise in 2003, the gardens are now open to the public and the buildings on the estate are run as a country house hotel having a series of outdoor rooms to emphasize their beauty with points of architecture and art; from entrances, pavilions, broad walks to a multitude of courtyards and pools.
Outdoor spaces to integrate nature with the built
Forming courtyards for visual and physical connectivity
CLIMATIC CONTEXT AND RESPONSES Tokyo has a subtropical climate where it is mostly sunny and dry while Colombo in Sri Lanka has a humid climate along with a lot of rainfall. In Tokyo while heat is not such an issue , in Colombo it becomes necessary to cut down the light. Light & Heat In traditional japanese architecture Shoji screen are used to bring filtered light inside the spaces, Kunio Maekawa uses these screen to filter light from the south facing facade.
Overhang cuts the heat and brings in light
Shoji Screens filter light coming on the ground floor
5
While in Colombo cutting down the heat becomes a necessity, and for doing so Geoffrey Bawa centers his built around courtyards and gives a soothing transition from the outside- semi-covered- covered spaces. The courtyards become the central well to bring in light and air.
Transition from open-semi covered spaces
Bringing the outside inside
Roof Japanese tradition looks after the aesthetics and hence a lot of thought is given to the underside of the pitched roofs. The Neo-Japanese roofing is the first thing you eye reads in the house but it is slightly different from the traditional roofs because by using the ideas of pilotis , inside the house Kunio Maekawa gives it a larger volume than a traditional house. Sri Lanka however receives a lot of rainfall and hence the angled roofs accommodate the excessive rains, while giving it a volume for circulating air and reducing humidity. Bawa created a new identity of architecture that factored in both the good and bad realities of living on an island: the humidity, the termites, the mould, but also the beautiful sea views, the trees, the rain… relevant in tropical climates across the world. This made him the centre of attention and something of a design sensation.
CULTURAL CONTEXT AND RESPONSES Japan- Landscapes, Material use & Proportioning system Japanese culture focuses a lot on the relationships between nature and the built. The Japanese gardens have been a very important part of their architecture and so Kunio Maekawa staying one with his roots designed a garden with his house along with the traditional oya entrance way.
6
Japanese architecture has a very specific proportioning system which is prevalent in The 1942 House. The Tatami mats the traditional rice straw three by six feet mats that determine all measures of the Japanese houses, and of which one should only walk bear foot . The house has a bank of wood mullioned windows along a dramatic glass entrance. The sliding shutters on the south side of the great room can be stowed in a door pocket that pivots 90 degrees, effectively disappearing when the home is open to the elements. Metal was in short supply in 1941, so the door rails were created of hardwood. There is a corresponding set of windows on the north side, as well as a bay window on the loft level, all of which allow light to flood the room. Space flows, unimpeded, through the room and from front to back garden. The house made liberal use of cypress and other wood. Since Maekawa didn’t like paint, oil-based stain was used on the exterior surfaces.
Use of local material like wood, glass, metal
Landscaping done for the site
Sri Lanka- Landscapes, Colors, Materials & Art
Lunuganga estate lies on the banks of the lake Dedduwa, Bentota. The estate is a mixture of many structures and landscapes that Bawa designed. The main bungalow itself includes large comfortable rooms, spacious living and sitting areas, many reading nooks, a library full of books with a few busts interspersed, dining rooms. The rooms have been adorned with a lot of art and colored walls which reflect the perfect tropical vibe. The garden is not a static object, it is a moving spectacle, a series of scenographic images that change with the season, the point of view, the time of day, the mood. So Lunuganga has been conceived as a series of separate contained spaces, to be moved through at leisure or to be occupied at certain times of the day. This is not a garden of colorful flowers, neat borders and gurgling fountains: it is a civilized wilderness, an assemblage of tropical plants of different scale and texture, a composition of green on green, an ever changing play of light and shade.
7
Colors used to bring out the tropical vibe
Local materials like wood and stone used
CONCLUSION Both Kunio Maekawa and Geoffrey Bawa, with the strong context of traditional Japanese houses and tropical island respectively ,worked to bring about a synergy with the old and modern movements. Both providing a bridge between the past and the future whilst staying true to their context. Kunio Maekawa responded and brought in the context of a Japanese house and his house became the first expression of the synthesis of traditional and modern house which in turn made him a regionalist. Geoffrey Bawa used the idea of regionalism to create a new identity. He adopted the regionalist approach which took its inspiration from traditional typologies and technologies. His decisions were a response to the surroundings specific to the region, making him a regionalist. Kunio Maekawa & Geoffrey Bawa are regionalist modernist , their work driven by both traditional understandings and modern techniques makes it warm and sensitive towards the context.
“To be truly modern, we must first reconcile ourselves with our traditions.� -Octavio Paz
8
References: ●
Altherr, Alfred, Three Japanese Architects: Mayekawa, Tange, Sakakura, Arthur Niggli Ltd., 1968.
●
“Collections | Architect's Archives | Geoffrey Bawa.” Archnet, archnet.org/collections/10
●
Reynolds, Johanthan M., Maekawa Kunio and the Emergence of Japanese Modernist Architecture, University of California Press, 2001.
●
Introduction Geoffrey Bawa.” Geoffrey Bawa, www.geoffreybawa.com/life/introduction.
●
Kunio Maekawa. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17th, 2019, from http://biography.yourdictionary.com/kunio-maekawa
●
“Kunio Maekawa.” Maison à Bordeaux | Architectuul, architectuul.com/architect/kunio-maekawa.
●
Kunkel, Patrick. “Spotlight: Geoffrey Bawa.” ArchDaily, ArchDaily, 23 July 2018, www.archdaily.com/770481/spotlight-geoffrey-bawa.
●
“Lunuganga Estate.” Https://Lanka.com, 26 Sept. 2018, lanka.com/about/attractions/lunuganga-estate/.
●
Maekawa.", "Kunio. “Kunio Maekawa.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed, Encyclopedia.com, 2019, www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/art-and-architecture/architecture/kunio-maekawa.
●
Severns, Karen. “A Renowned Modernist Turns Tradition-Minded for His Own Home.” Houzz, Houzz, 8 May 2017, www.houzz.com/magazine/a-renowned-modernist-turns-tradition-minded-for-his-own-home-stsetivw-vs~8 4942828.