B.3. Case Study 2.0 Hitoshi Abe’s Aoba Tei Resaturant
T
he Aoba Tei Restaurant has a spectacular designed by Hitoshi Abe. It is an example of the integration of patterning in architecture to create an innovative, biomimetic design solution. The interior of the restaurant is lit with a realistic pattern of zelkova trees, inspired by the zelkova trees lining the boulevard outside the restaurant. The pattern was created from photographs taken outside of the zelkova trees.1 The photos were made into a digital model and then pixellated and applied to the interior surfaces of the restaurant via “texture mapping” in computation programs like Grasshopper and Rhino. Holes of varying sizes were then drilled in sheets of steel. Through parametric modelling, Abe was able to control and vary the size of the holes in the tree pattern using parameters, allowing for a realistic pattern.
As the pattern is intricately made from small perforations, it realistically resembles the shadow of zelkova trees, especially when viewed from afar. The use of back-lighting further enhances the illusion of being outdoors. Hence I believe Abe has been successful in replicating the experience of nature (being under the canopy) inside the restaurant. However, material qualities and fabrication processes imposed some limitations on pattern design. The holes had to have a certain size and spacing to ensure the structure stability of the steel sheets. The drilling of holes also required a structurally rigid material like steel. I wonder if Abe could have enhanced the realism of trees if it was not for these structural limitations. Perhaps holes with smaller spacing would produce a higher resolution image and hence, more realistic trees.
1. Graham Barron, ‘Under the Zelkovas: Hitoshi Abe’s Aoba Tei Restaurant’, in Graham Barron <http://grahambarron.blogspot.com.au/2009/10/ under-zelkovas-hitoshi-abesaoba-tei.html> (accessed 24 March 2017)
FIG.1 DESIGN INTENT. USES DIGITAL MODELLING.
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CRITERIA DESIGN