[CRITICAL ABSTRACTIONS]

Modern Architecture in Japan 1868-2018

In considering what abstraction actually means in architecture, Genadt, who teaches the course “Modern Architecture in Japan—Culture, Place, Tectonics,” approached the exhibit with three guiding themes: one, that architecture is not as context-free as abstraction in art can be; two, that architecture is relative and may have meaning based on what is not shown; and three, that architecture is not disconnected from symbolism—that a building may prompt a variety of unpredictable associations.

Piano’s Hermes headquarters building fully absorbs Japanese architectural and life philosophy. It is a completely handmade glass curtain wall, which is cleanly and purely suspended from the top of the building, such as Japanese soji. It resembles a fuzzy translucent shutter during the day, restrained into the city, and at night it becomes the whole bright luminous body. As the floors rise, the privacy of the space increases, and the garden on the top floor reaches the same level of privacy as the Japanese inner court.

Work 7

Academic studio design

University of Pennsylvania

Instructor: Simon Kim

In collaboration with Zihao Fang and Weimeng Zhang

Arch 701 Design Studio

Fall 2018

Design media: Rhinocero, Grasshopper, Arduino

Personal scope: All the programmings of the kinetic Physical model, 70 percent of the drawings.

Kinetic Prototype: Breathing chamber

Kinetic Prototype: Warning color

Work 8

Workshop/Exhibition

Tongji University