CRAFTSMANSHIP THROUGH JOINERY
A S t u d y o f J a p a n e s e Tr a d i t i o n a n d i t s A p p l i c a t i o n t o C o n t e m p o r a r y A r c h i t e c t u r e ANDREAS FรถRNEMARK
Design can be described in words and by drawing. Craftsmanship cannot. Craftsmanship is practical. It will only prove itself by tangible means and results of doing. Craftsmanship is a way of life, a pursuit for self-perfection. Be critical. Never be satisfied.
GREAT THANKS TO Il Kim for bending the design reality I knew. Justin Miller for always asking why. Mary English for patience of seeking beauty in design. Matthew Hall for photography and always considering next option. Christian Dagg & Jon Byler for allowing me to set up the joint lab. Yoshi Toda & Mki Jima for hospitality and showing me the best of Tokyo. Benny the old man for teaching me the difference between workmanship and craftsmanship.
Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Architecture Degree, Auburn University. Spring Semester 2020. Thesis Advisor: Il Kim Submitted: 1st May 2020
CRAFTSMANSHIP THROUGH JOINERY A S t u d y o f J a p a n e s e Tr a d i t i o n a n d i t s A p p l i c a t i o n t o C o n t e m p o r a r y A r c h i t e c t u r e
CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION a. Abstract b. Introduction c. History 2. BACKGROUND a. David Pye on Craftsmanship and Design b. Why does Craftsmanship Matter? c. Why Japan? 3. METHODS a. Japanese Art of Joinery b. Foundation Joints c. Tsugite Joints d. Shiguchi Joints e. Project Proposal f. Site g. Program Proposal h. Project i. Conclusion 4. JOINT LAB a. Tsugite b. Shiguchi c. Sources
1 3 5 9 13 15 17 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 79 81 105 139
01INTRODUCTION
In today’s construction realm in the United States where “the faster, cheaper, is better” mentality rules, craftsmanship has taken a large toll in both quality and quantity. As creators of space, I believe that architects and designers must maintain and encourage the use of craftsmanship in their designs. Craftsmanship ripples through society and fosters sense of self-fulfillment and pride. Craftsmanship will raise both the construction industry and our everyday lives to higher standards. Today, if the architect is the “master selector” of systems or materials and have no or very little interaction with craftsmanship, it should be our urgent task to reintroduce good skills to the built environment. By manifesting good craftsmanship in the form of joinery, I try to create spaces where the inhabitants will become keenly aware of the importance of craftsmanship. It is my hope that joinery will mediate among architecture, craft, and human actions, furthermore by exposing joinery, I will manage to make craftsmanship visible to the inhabitants. By making the joinery interactive, I will encourage people to explore and test craftsmanship. “To my surprise”, most people do not know about joinery at all. Once told, however, they are amazed by joinery: methods of how to join parts without conventional fastener techniques makes them want to touch or interact with the joinery. I realized that making good joinery is time consuming. In the future, I will investigate how to best reintroduce joinery to the built environment.
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A BST R AC T | 1
TOP: Junkspace and “Anti-Craft” LEFT: Hidden Joinery with no fasteners and no trim. Local Shrine in Musashi Koyama, Tokyo. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.11.2020
One of the largest challenges future architects and designers face is that the quality of their designs does not turn out as they intended to be because of the shifting relationship between architects and craftsmen. This issue cannot solely be pointed to the craftsmen. It stems from many causes such as misrepresentation in drawings or poor understanding by designers of how things are built. In most projects craftsmanship is of great importance for the final product. Additionally, craftsmanship cannot be determined only by designers or architects. They can only specify level of craft or material they expect, but it is in the end the craftsman, who realizes design, that sets the parameters of the quality of the craft. In modern time where economy and speed weigh more than pride in work and self-fulfillment, craft (both as hands on work but also as design) has taken a large blow with many projects resulting in what Rem Koolhaas refers to as “Junk spaces”. He pinpoints the “junk space” as where an escalator meets an air conditioning while being the latter incubated in sheetrock.1 The sheetrock is among the cheapest and fastest way to cover up such a design problem as Koolhaas points at. To further expand on these thoughts, I want to mention almost the entire variations of architectural trims and fasteners that have emerged as band aid for poor craft or design. They allow an architect, designer, or even a workman himself to disregard the important detail of how the materials meet. No matter how inaccurate planning or poor craftsmanship could be, there will always be a trim piece or fastener to cover up one’s poor skill. The primary function of trims and fasteners in modern construction are to either hide the connection between materials or to join materials in fast and easy ways. Unfortunately, most of the time neither foster good craftsmanship. One might ask if we even recognize good craft anymore. Have we been so immersed in junk spaces that it is the new norm? And thus, even as architects, do we choose to accept it? Trims and fasteners have been so excessively used that we rarely see the joining of materials anymore. With these questions in mind, This Thesis expands on the craft of Joinery in search of answers. More specifically, the thesis will examine the art of Japanese joinery. But, instead of hiding the joint within the wood which is common in Japanese joinery. I will examine how to expose and celebrate joinery in my architectural project proposal set in the Aoyama district in Tokyo, Japan. It is my hope that the resulted buildings will be a place where the visitor will slow down, interact, and be mystified by the craftsmanship and simplicity that entails the joinery of materials. And that this technique reminds the city dwellers of higher standards through architecture. 1. Koolhaas, Rem. Junk-space, 137.
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IN TRO DUC T I O N | 3
TOP: Typical workday for many architects. LEFT: Mastery craftsmanship at an entrance to private residence, Kyoto Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.15.2020
In the western world, since the times of Homer and Plato, the role of architects has gone through major shifts distancing architects from craftsmen. In the time period between Homer’s Iliad and the writings of Plato one major shift happened; according to M. Clarke, the profession of architecture distanced itself from craft by becoming “the master of workmen not a workman himself ”.211Architects lost one important connection to the built environment when he decided to distance himself from the actual production of buildings. To better understand the roots of craftsmanship in western architecture, one must start with an examination of the word architect. In Greek “Arkhi” mean head or principle. “Tekton” mean craftsman. So, Archi-Tect means Leading-Craftsman in direct translation. Further, according to Jonas Holst’s research The Fall of the Tektōn and The Rise of the Architect: On The Greek Origins of Architectural Craftsmanship, the word “Tekton” can be traced back to Indo-European roots where “tek” means to cut, but it also refers to weaving and joining. However, in today’s realm of “Tekton” or “tect” is where most severe lack of knowledge among architects and designers can be found. For example, it becomes ironic how someone who has never cut down a tree with an axe shall explain to someone else how to do it in the best way. I refer to many architects of present day who has never physically built a house but instruct others how to do so. Holst places attention to this issue through a historical shift. He writes, In Iliad one can read: Hector went to the fine house of Alexandros. He’d built it himself with fertile Troy’s best craftsmen (Iliad 313-15); and in the writings of Plato one can read: Every architect, is a ruler of workmen not a workman himself. (Statesman 259e). According to Holst, these two texts indicate a shift in value and task for the architect.3 Originally the architect was a master of the building techniques and thus a master of craftsmanship. Again, according to Holst, architectural craftsmanship was in the beginning synonymous with the art of tectonics and remained conceptually bound with other tectonic crafts. The first architects based their highly skilled work on ancient tectonic crafts that enabled them to build the first monumental stone temples. When architects distanced themselves from the making however, they also distanced themselves from craftsmanship.
2. Clarke, M. “The Architects of Greece and Rome”, 9. 3. Holst Jonas. “The Fall of the Tekton and The Rise of the Architect: On the Greek Origins of Architectural Craftmanship”, 1
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H I STO RY | 5
TOP: Muro-Ji, Golden Hall in Nara, The Art of Japanese Joinery. pp 27. LEFT: Historical craftsmanship at Nijō Castle, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.15.2020.
Holst refers to Plato again to indicate the Architects are separated by the workforce, and thus distanced themselves from their past of being among the Tektone.4 However, craft became an important part in the society, according to Holst: Craft expressed through the creation of structures and artifacts, which were a testimony of social life.5 I believe this is still relevant today where craftsmanship has been decimated by “budgets” and “efficiency” in both design and construction. Later in western culture the architect took the role as the master builder. And in recent years the architect has distanced himself even further from craft by becoming the master selector of building systems and materials. Currently, many architects barely come into direct contact with crafts or people who do physical work. In Japan history has followed a similar path, but craftsmanship and the pride in one’s own work has remained stronger than in the west. Kiyosi Seike writes in his book The Art of Japanese Joinery: “the traditional Japanese carpenter has been architect and engineer as much as carpenter or joiner.”6 Here we can read a strong connection between craftsmen and architects. If we look at MuroJi, Golden Hall in Nara, we can see that joinery becomes architecture.7 Thus, craftsmen who created the Golden Hall with their intricate joints were very much a part of forming the architecture. However, the joinery of the wood is not exposed or necessarily expressed. Therefore, it appears mysterious; the visitor will be left to ponder how this mastery woodwork was constructed. Seike continues in his book by describing the meaning of the word Daiku which translates as “chief carpenter” and its closest English equivalent is “architect”.8 Here too, in the literal meaning of the word, exists a close relation between architect and the carpenter. 4. Holst Jonas. “The Fall of the Tekton and The Rise of the Architect: On the Greek Origins of Architectural Craftmanship”, 9. 5. Ibid, 2. 6. Kiyosi, Seike. The Art of Japanese Joinery, 7. 7. Ibid, 26-27. 8. Ibid, 10.
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H I STO RY | 7
02BACKGROUND
To go in depth what craftsmanship entails would be too broad discussion for this thesis. Yet, some definitions on craftsmanship must be clarified. First, workmanship of the better sort is called craftsmanship. While architects alter nature and or natural materials to fit human activities, they do this process while aiming for aesthetics. This process is design, and the product are a manufactured art piece that we can inhabit or interact with. Pye writes, that “the art of design, which chooses that the things we use shall look as they do, has a wider and sustained impact than any other artform. Everyone is exposed to it all day long.” 9 Since architecture contains design, we can assume architecture has a tremendous effect on us as humans. I believe it is fair to say that poor design or poor craftsmanship will affect our culture as well. In every culture there are parameters that decide or place value to the outcome of a design. Those parameters are currently different in the west and in Japan. Architecture is not invention. Rather, it is the art of applying a principle. Invention is to invent that principle.10 A pocketknife for example. This invention is simple and makes it possible to place the knife in one’s pocket. Design alters this invention by applying the invention’s principles and make of variations of this invention. The joinery of wood is similar. Someone invents a way to join wood without any use of nails or glue. Worldwide, craftsmen have designed thousands of ways to join wood, which means they have applied the principle of making two or more parts that join to become one. 9. Pye, David. The Nature and Aesthetics of Design, 11. 10. Ibid, 21
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TOP: Two variations of lap-joint principle, one is further developed with a wood key to lock it in place. Diagram by Andreas Fornemark. BOTTOM: Precise bad Fabrication craft that did not resist forces. This is common for Eames chairs due to poorly designed shock Mounts. RepairEames.com. 2.23.2020 LEFT: Rough good craftsmanship at Ninna-Ji, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.14.2020 PREVIOUS PAGE: Private residence, Kyoto. During my travels in Japan I noticed that majority of the joints were hidden and not exposed. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.16.2020.
11. Pye, David. The Nature and Art of Workmanship, 17. 12. Ibid, 13. 13. Ibid, 20.
Design can be described in words and by drawing. Craftsmanship cannot. Craftsmanship is practical. It will only prove itself by tangible means and results of doing.11 Consequently, craftsmanship is not a theoretical idea that architects can prescribe. Therefore, it is of utter importance that architects are knowledgeable in craft to know what would be possible. The architect hopes craftsmanship will be good, but a workman decides whether it shall be good. Pye writes that “it does not matter how good the conductor is unless his orchestra can play well”. Thus, it is also important for the designer to assess the craftsmanship that is available to him. In certain areas there might be lack of good craftsmen that are available to do a certain job. Additionally, the level of craftsmanship also correlates to economy. Unfortunately, in many parts of the west, the current bidding process of projects foster poor craftsmanship. This is because a winning bid is based on the lowest cost. Similarly, the lowest paid craftsmen are the ones that provide a lowest level of craftsmanship. This becomes a large issue in the western culture where pride in one’s work is not as prevalent as in Japan. This leads Pye to suggest four levels of craftsmanship, which he categorizes by Good, Bad, Precise and Rough. He explains that rough craftsmanship does not mean it is bad, and precise craftsmanship does not mean it has to be good. Instead, what defines good or bad craftsmanship is soundness and comeliness. Soundness which implies the ability to transmit or resist forces. Will the craft be able to stand or function for its task? Comeliness refers to the aesthetic of the intended design or to add to it. A bad example of craftsmanship is simply if the design criteria is not reached or skewed, while an example of good is if the design is as expected, or even better, or if it can be improved.12 An architect will better be able to specify and improve craftsmanship if he knows how to achieve good craftsmanship himself or if he works in close correlation with craftsmen. Pye continues discussing workmanship of risk and certainty. Workmanship of certainty involve mass production where the outcome is certain every time. The workmanship of risk entails the craftsmanship where the handmade objects are the result. However, this does not mean the work has to be performed solely by hand, it can also be “hand shaped” with machinery or other tools.13 Workmanship of risk is seldom used in creating anything on large scale anymore. The workmanship of risk in the western world has little room because we can most certainly make anything better and cheaper in mass production such is the case with plastic bottles. However, in construction where certain parts must be fitted and joined one can still see traces of workmanship of risk. For example, where the sheetrock meets the escalator as Rem Koolhaas wrote in his Junk Space essay. It is where the little trace of craftsmanship still can be seen, it is where designers and architects as well as craftsmen have a chance of exposing pride in their work. 02
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One might ask why craftsmanship matters? Would it not be better to build as cheap as possible and put the money and personal effort elsewhere? It is my belief that if we have no signs of craftsmanship in our surrounding, people are getting accustomed to poor qualities, and this will ripple through society on all strata such as work ethics, aspirations, and self-fulfillment. I believe it is important as an architect to foster craft in one’s designs. But also, create work for craftsmen. If craftsmen create what they feel proud of they will develop pride in their trade. The pride in one’s trade will further create self fulfilment in other parts of life. There are multiple research reports supporting this argument. For example, the British Journal of Occupational Therapy conducted a study in a knitting society that yielded positive correlation between craftsmanship and wellbeing and quality of life.14 No matter if it is knitting, woodwork, or metalwork, the process of creating something beautiful yields self-satisfaction and higher standards in life. This concept should be an aspiration for architects to propagate, it will grow to a great gift to society as whole. Walter Gropius wrote during one of his travels to Japan, “The teamwork on the Katsura villa, for which the records still exist, shows a sound integration of designer and builder when compared to the fatal separation of design and execution from which our present architectural profession suffers”. 15 As Gropius wrote, the architect should not distance oneself from the workmen. Instead, the architect should constantly be curious and become familiar or capable with the techniques the workmen are using. This in the end will foster design that becomes improved and inventive. TOP: IKIGAI The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. Back cover. BOTTOM: Katsura villa, Kyoto. Photo: In public domain.
14. Riley Jill, Corkhill Betsan, Morris Clare. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 15. Gropius Walter. ”…” In Arata Isozaki ed., Katsura Imperial Villa, 355.
LEFT: High level of craftsmanship at Ninna-Ji, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.14.2020
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WH Y DO E S C RA F TS M A N S H IP M ATT E R | 1 3
Japanese culture is known to take great pride in work. Their wood joinery is recognized as the most advanced in the world. And Japanese architecture is known for minimalistic light appearance. Gropius wrote “Japanese architects has been influenced by the Zen way of life, it is not a religion, but it is a way of life. A strife to self-perfection”. 16 Thanks to the high value towards self-perfection, Japanese culture has managed to bring the profession to a personal level while having the aspiration to master that profession. This is not in conjunction with the western world where for many people a job is just a means of income and has little or no place in the personal space. Further, Gropius continues to describe that the western approach to a problem, which normally entails finding the fastest and cheapest or most practical way of doing, has little value in the Japanese culture. 17 For this reason it is my belief that the thesis research must be initiated by looking at the Japanese culture and joinery since they have disregarded the values that is undermining the qualities of the work in the western world. TOP: Hōgyōzukuri-nokigeta-shiguchi. Post and beam joinery. Diagram by Andreas Fornemark LEFT: Storefront post with peg connection in Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.15.2020
16. Gropius Walter. ”…” In Arata Isozaki ed., Katsura Imperial Villa, 355. 17. Ibid, 350.
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WH Y JAPAN | 1 5
03METHODS
Japan has a long history of wood joinery. One of the reasons japan has mastered this art are for the large forested areas and less suitable geology for masonry construction.18 Further, Japan has multiple earthquakes and typhoons each year. Wood construction will better withstand such natural phenomena due to its flexible properties. For the wood structures to be reliable, the joinery of the wood members must be self-interlocking. With the aforementioned natural causes in combination with high pride in one’s own work. Japanese craftsmen and carpenters have developed the most intricate and beautiful joinery in the world. The craftsmanship of the joints are done by master carpenters who treat their tools as parts of themselves. Their craftsmanship becomes part of their life. They have high pride in their work, and they aim to perfect it. Richard Sennett writes “History has drawn fault lines dividing practice and theory, technique and expression, craftsman and artist, maker and user; modern society suffers from this historical inheritance. But the past life of craft and craftsmen also suggest ways of using tool, organization, bodily movement, thinking about materials that remain alternative, viable proposals about how to conduct life with skill.”19 What he suggest is that one can bring craftsmanship to life itself; as with the case for the master carpenters in Japan.
18. Kiyosi, Seike. The Art of Japanese Joinery, 11. 19. Sennett, Richard. The Craftsman, 11.
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TOP: Splicing joints and Connecting joints. Diagram by Andreas Fornemark MIDDLE: Tightly fitted joint at Kinkaku Ji Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.14.2020. BOTTOM: From top to bottom: Key, Pin, Wedge fasteners. To the right a gravity joint. Diagram by Andreas Fornemark. LEFT: Straight growing cedar (Sugi) at Ryōan-ji, Kyoto. Photo Andreas Fornemark 1.14.2020. PREVIOUS PAGE: Wedge joint between granite and wood at Nijō Castle, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.15.2020.
20. Landers Peggy Rao, Brackett Len. Building the Japanese House Today. 93-95. 21. Locher, Mira. Traditional Japanese Architecture: An Exploration of Elements and Forms. 73. 22. Landers Peggy Rao, Brackett Len. Building the Japanese House Today 55-56.
There are hundreds of different joints used in Japanese carpentry. Joints are named for their purpose, not their shapes. They are mainly categorized into two types: the splicing joints and connecting joints. In the two categories there are further sub-categories such as blind, half blind, or exposed joint. This means the joint is completely visible, partially visible, or non-visible. Most joints use a mortise and tenon principle. There are endless variations of the principle with perhaps the dovetail being the most well-known. Some joints use the principle in combination with fastening techniques. As with the joints there are multiple variations of fasteners. The most common use are keys, pins, or wedges. These are commonly made from hard woods, such as zelkova and oak, both of which have characteristics to withstand the forces of being hammered into the connection, but also flexible to withstand movement forces. When keys are used to attach a beam to a column, the hole in the mortised beam is placed about 1/16” higher than in the column so they are misaligned. When the key is hammered into the joint it forces the members to a tight fit and a secure joint.20 But some joints rely solely on friction or gravity to make the joint stable. There are further reinforcement techniques in Japanese carpentry such as adhesives, lacquers, and fishplates, but they are rarely relied upon for structural integrity. For example, it is not uncommon to see a metal band in the near end or end of large members. This is to reinforce where the most force is expressed, but also to reinforce one of the weak points of the wood. It is often at the end-wood where wood decay will first take place. One reason behind the success of Japanese joinery is the perfection in fittings and selection of the right wood for a right job. Carpenters spend more time in selecting a lumber than cutting it into various components. By covering up the end wood with tight fittings there is little room for exposure to exterior elements; and by selecting a right wood for each job, potential decay issues are avoided. The preferred wood types that are used in Japanese construction are two softwoods and one hardwood. Zelkova is a hardwood and is commonly used as the daikoku bashira (central column) in a residence.21 Japanese Cypress (hinoki) and Cedar (sugi) are straight-growing softwoods which makes them easier to work with. They are also, resistant to decay by weather and insects. Other woods, both soft and hard, such as Pine, hemlock, spruce, fir, oak, beech, and alder are also used.22 It all depends on the location and what trees that are available.
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In traditional Japanese architecture, foundation joints appear where wood columns meet a foundation stone, or where a wood sill is placed on top of a continuous stone footing. The wood column that meets the foundation stone (soseki) is made in a way so a (hozo) tenon is carved from the wood, and the stone base has the receiving (hozoana) mortise.23 When wood sill meets the continuous footing, it is common to carve the wood into a perfect fit to the stones below. This becomes an interlocking action between wood and stone. This technique also enforces the idea that Japanese carpentry follows nature; it does not try to fight nature. The foundation stones are mostly granite due to the hardness of the material. But nowadays concrete is also used as foundation stones. By elevating the wood members from the ground plane, the wood is separated from moisture and potential damage. Often a metal band or copper plate are applied to the lower part of the wood members for protection against insects and exposure. 23. Locher, Mira. Traditional Japanese Architecture: An Exploration of Elements and Forms. 101.
TOP: Column meet stone base in KĹ?fuku-ji Temple, Nara. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.14.2020 BOTTOM: Stone base foundation in Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.13.2020 LEFT: Temple column in RyĹ?an-ji, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.13.2020
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F O U N D ATIO N JO I NTS | 2 1
Splicing joints or tsugite, as they are called in Japanese, are joints used to join wood members ends to increase length. This is most used for columns or beams where spans are longer than available wood members. This has become more common as larger trees around the world has already been cut down or they are too hard to reach. Carpenters place detail to the direction of every member. For example, the root ends of the timber are never jointed because forces of how the tree grow would pull the joint apart. Instead, the canopy parts are jointed together thus pushing the joint together.24 Tsugite joints often include some sort of reinforcement to help them stay together. This may include keys, pins. nails, bolts, fishplates or glues.25 In Japanese carpentry the most common splicing joint is the scarf joint. A cut is made diagonal so that larger surface area of the two ends are in contact. When adhesives are used there are larger contact area and it makes for a stronger joint. Traditionally rice pastes, animal and resin glues has been used with lacquer to make the joints stronger. TOP: Three variations of Splicing joints. Diagram by Andreas Fornemark. LEFT: Wood and Stucco Craftsmanship at NijĹ? Castle, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.15.2020.
24. Locher, Mira. Traditional Japanese Architecture: An Exploration of Elements and Forms, 72. 25. Kiyosi, Seike. The Art of Japanese Joinery, 92-93.
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TS U G ITE J O I N TS | 2 3
Shiguchi
Torsion
Watashigake Shiguchi
Compression
Tension
Kumitate Shiguchi
Bending
Connecting joints (or Shiguchi) are the joints that meet at angle. There are two types of shiguchi; first is “watashigake shiguchi” which includes all joints that has crossed or transverse timbers at right or oblique angels. These may be Y-joints, T-joints or X-joints. The second type is “Kumitate shiguchi”, Which are the joints at an angle made by connections of various kinds of tenons and mortises. Almost all joints in Japanese carpentry use the mortise and tenon technique that makes the joints stronger, but it also prevents unwanted movement in the wood members. The basic principle is a male and a female part that are fitted together, those are called the Hozo (tenon) and Meji (Mortise). In some cases, they are blind joints, and, in some cases, they are exposed to express the joint and craftsmanship. They are often reinforced or locked in by pins, splines or wood keys that gets tapped in to the joint. Depending on the location of the joint it must be sufficient to withstand the basic forces in structure. The forces are Torsion, Compression, Tension, Bending and Shear.
Shear
TOP: Shiguchi joints and force predictions Diagrams by Andreas Fornemark. LEFT: Hidden wood joinery, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.14.2020.
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S H IG U C HI J O I N TS | 2 5
I will explore how to expose and celebrate joinery in my architectural project in the Aoyama district in Tokyo, Japan. Traditional Japanese joinery seems very complicated, or the joinery is hidden within the members, which makes it inaccessible to the viewer. Instead of hiding the joint within wood connections, the thesis project will expose joinery and craftsmanship. It is my hope that the resulting spaces will encourage the visitor to slow down, interact, and be inspired by the craftsmanship that entails joinery. It is my intent to remind the city dwellers of good craftsmanship and higher standards through architecture. The project site is in Aoyama neighborhood of the Minato Ward, it is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Tokyo. The site is surrounded by the flagship stores of high-end fashion such as Prada, CHANEL, ACNE, Hugo Boss, Tod’s and more. Many of the fashion buildings are works by architectural studios such as Herzog and de Meuron, SANAA, Kengo Kuma, and Tado Ando to mention a few. Even though the neighborhood is considered to be a fashion district, it is a mixed-use neighborhood with residences, schools, restaurants, and shops. The site is within walking distance from the Omote Sando Subway station.
TOP: Kengo Kuma’s Cafe, Prada, Tod’s, and Hugo Boss in close proximity to the site. LEFT: Column Beam conection at Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.14.2020
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SANTA CHIARA CHURCH COFFEE CHOCOLATE SHOP AVEDA BEAUTY SHOP
THE AYOYAMA JOINERY
TOKYO WHISKY LIBRARY RESTAURANT DIESEL STORE RESIDENCE NATUR NICOLAI BERGMANN FLORAL SHOP
TOP: Site maps and Site program LEFT: Roof structural Joinery with no fasteners and no trim. Local Shrine in Musashi Koyama, Tokyo. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.11.2020 PAGE 30: Back street at site looking West. Photo: Andreas Fornemark. 1.11.2020
The site is one block south of the heavy trafficked Ayoyama Dori Ave. The site has a corner facing two small, mainly pedestrian streets. The site currently houses seven structures of which five are in direct contact with the street. The structures have a wide mix of uses. Starting from the North East to the northwest corner, wrapping the perimeter of the site; High-end Diesel retail, Fine dining at Tokyo Whiskey Library, Aveda Lifestyle and Spa, Natur and Nicolai Bergmann flower artist and jewlery. Residency building with Summerbird Organic Chocolate Lab and Cafe. The two structures with no street adjacency are Minamiaoyama Santa Chiara Church which acts as a wedding venue, and the mystery building with a nail salon. The common programmatic thread of the site is event and service. More specifically created to wedding venues. Even though the programmatic functions aim their sales towards a common event, the buildings are alienated from each other; They are all freestanding. Each building has flat roof except the church that has a pitched roof. Diesel is cladded with greenery, the corner store Aveda is glazed, and the residency with a nail salon is set back from the street front. All buildings are three stories or lower. Adjacent to the site, most buildings are four stories or lower, except the residency building directly to the north. These buildings generally occupy their lots all the way up to the street with no, or very little setback. When I spent one day in the neighborhood and at the site, I noticed that the neighborhood is under transitory moment. There was plenty of construction going on. I was not able to enter the courtyard at the site due to an ongoing event. The north and south streets are trafficked quite heavily by pedestrians. Diesel’s façade to the north was not only a green oasis in the city, it was also an acoustic experience due to all nesting birds and their song. This façade should be integrated to the new design. The proposed thesis project will act as a unifier of the current various venues. I will try to connect all the venues and programs into one coherent piece of architecture. The joinery will weave through every programmatic function in different scales, and the joinery should be visible from the outside. Unlike Kengo Kumas Starbucks Cafee where the woodwork joinery is not structural my thesis project will utilize joinery as structure. Additionally, I will attempt to make my buildings less chaotic than Kuma’s, although Kuma’s simple interlocking and triangulation of the pieces make the interior structure very strong Therefore, this technique is something to be explored in my project. Kuma uses a wood pin in the lap joint connection to make it stronger. The pin is camouflaged by using the same type of wood; I will explore using contrasting wood color to express the connections.
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I will break up the site in five parts, those are Circulation and Service, Courtyards, Venue, Aveda store, Restaurant and Chocolate Cafe. Diesel store will be relocated to main fashion street north of the site. The few residency units will be removed from the site program. Natur Nicolai Bergmann flower artist and entrepreneur will relocate to his flagship store across the street. Venue building and restaurant building will be presented to him as a new development investment. (He currently has partnership in the existing Restaurant, Chocolate CafĂŠ, and Floral shop. Each building will employ a unique joinery concept to create diversity between the structures. Venue will be a double height space open for adaptable use. The joint will be triangulated and interlocking, acting like a large truss, and spill down into the space below. Aveda will consist of an open space shop floor circulated by a mezzanine. From ceiling there will be various lap joints suspended into the space. The joinery will block any direct views and filter light in the space. The periphery is cladded with a secondary structure of lap joints enforcing privacy from the streets outside. The restaurant will employ a right-angled joint from where floor plates will be inserted within the structural system. Each level will have three half levels which creates smaller dining mezzanines. This is to generate privacy and so visitors can experience joinery at different levels. Additionally, there will be a railing system that connects staircases and mezzanines, wood slats will enforce privacy while still provide views and filter in natural light. Street Courtyard will be planted with Japanese Maple trees next to benches and one shallow gravel pool in front of the venue Back Courtyard will have wild grass ground and green wall to the north. The center part of the courtyard will have Japanese maple trees next to benches and one shallow water pool in front of the venue.
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SITE SITE PLAN
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SITE E X T E R I O R V I E W lookin g nort h
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SITE E X T E R I O R V I E W lookin g se
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SITE exterior view lookin g nw
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SITE exterior b irds e y e lookin g nort h
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VENUE SECTION PERSPECTIVE LOOKING SOUTH
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VENUE CONCEPTUAL JOINTS
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LEVEL 1
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LEVEL 2
VENUE PLANs & SECTIONs
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VENUE AXONOMETRIC JOINT DIAGRAM & EXPLODED VIEW
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VENUE INTERIOR VIEW LOOKING N
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VENUE INTERIOR VIEW LOOKING S
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AVEDA STORE SECTION PERSPECTIVE LOOKING EAST
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AVEDA STORE CONCEPTUAL JOINTS
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S2
S1 LEVEL 2
AVEDA STORE PLANs & SECTIONs
LEVEL 1
S1
S2
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AVEDA STORE AXONOMETRIC JOINT DIAGRAM & EXPLODED VIEW
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AVEDA STORE INTERIOR VIEWS LEVEL 1 LOOKING W
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AVEDA STORE INTERIOR VIEWS LEVEL 2 LOOKING N
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R E S TA U R A N T SECTION PERSPECTIVE LOOKING EAST
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R E S TA U R A N T CONCEPTUAL JOINTS
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LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
R E S TA U R A N T PLANs
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 4
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R E S TA U R A N T AXONOMETRIC JOINT DIAGRAM & EXPLODED VIEW
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R E S TA U R A N T INTERIOR VIEWS LEVEL 1 LOOKING N
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R E S TA U R A N T INTERIOR VIEWS LEVEL 2 LOOKING S
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Joinery is the structure of traditional Japanese architecture, joinery is the foundation of ancient builders, joinery is what allows builders to communicate artistically. I have long admired the life of a crafter, his dedication to his work and attention to the inherit beauty, and respect for his materials and tools. There is much to be admired about Western Architecture but through my education I felt a piece missing. This void was craftsmanship. The goal of this thesis was to study and expand on the field of Japanese joinery. By manifesting craftsmanship in the form of joinery, I created spaces where inhabitants can explore and interact with craftsmanship. My joinery project mediated between architecture, craftsmanship, and human. Once demonstrated, people were amazed by joinery methods; how to join parts without conventional fastener techniques, the strength born between these interconnections, and importantly the art buried between the structure. Joinery is a time consuming and laborious process, but it is a labor of love, fostering a connection between man and his craft that can never be found in modern construction “anti-craft�. In the future, I will learn how to better explain the joinery and its structural data. I will investigate how to reintroduce joinery once again to the built environment and my future architecture.
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C O N CL USI O N | 7 9
04JOINT LAB By setting up a Joint Lab where Japanese joinery was explored and expanded on, I gained knowledge I could not have attained by simply reading about the subject. I drew, built, and studied each joint to understand acting forces, precision, and craftsmanship necessary for each joint. Following pages contains a selected sample of the one hundred some joints I drew.
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0 4 STSUG O UR CI E TS E | 81 7
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Bibliography Holst, Jonas. “The Fall of the Tektōn and The Rise of the Architect: On The Greek Origins of Architectural Craftsmanship”. https://journal.eahn.org/articles. 20th November 2019. Isozaki, Arata., Edited by Virginia Ponciroli. “Architecture in Japan, Walter Gropius”. Katsura Imperial Villa. New York: Phaidon Press Inc., 2011. Koolhaas, Rem. “Junkspace” A+U Special Issue: OMA @ Work. May 2000. Landers, Peggy Rao, Len Brackett. Building the Japanese House Today. New York: Harry N. Abrams publishers, 2005. Locher, Mira. Ben Simmons. Traditional Japanese Architecture: An Exploration of Elements and Forms. North Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing, 2010. Pye, David. The Nature and Art of Workmanship: Cambridge: University Press, 1968. Pye, David. The Nature and Aesthetics of Design. Herbert Press, 2007. Riley, Jill., Betsan Corkhill, Clare Morris. ““The benefits of knitting for personal and social wellbeing in adulthood: findings from an international survey”. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. Sage. 2013, pp.50-57. Sennett, Richard. The Craftsman. London: Penguin Books, 2009. Seike, Kiyosi., Yuriko Yobuco, Rebecca M. Davis. 木組 The Art of Japanese Joinery. New York: Weatherhill, 1977.
Other readings that have contributed to my interest and current understanding of Craftsmanship Through Joinery. Deplazes, Andrea. Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures: A Handbook. Ekuan, Kenji. “Japanese Aesthetics”. Ford, Henry. “Machinery, The New messiah”. Ito, Toyo. “Vortex and Current: On Architecture as Phenomenalism”. JAANUS Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System. www.aisf.or.jp Kuma, Kengo. Kengo Kuma 2006-2012. Reto Guntli, Angelika Taschen. Living in Japan. Shelton, Barrie. Learning from the Japanese City: West meets East in Urban Design. Tanizaki, Jun’ichiro. In Praise of Shadows. Taut, Bruno. Fundamentals of Japanese architecture. Yanagi, Soetsu. The Kizaemon Tea Bowl.
AUBURN UNIVERSITY | Bachelor of Architecture, May 2020. School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.