The Architecture of Howl Moving Castle

Written as part of a weekly article in the journalistic account "Biwastu" under the auspices of HMA Widyastana Architecture. Starting from an interest in animation media, I can see the use of architecture in forming an essential background for a story.

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Howl's Moving Castle is one of Studio Ghibli's animated films produced by Hayao Miyazaki in 2004. Taking inspiration from the book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. It tells the story of the meeting of Sophie Hatter, a hatter, and Howl, a genius wizard who lives in a moving castle. The movie is set in the Edwardian Era, 1901-1910, when the 2nd industrial revolution took place and continued by the 1st world war era, with additional fantasy spices such as magic and unique forms of transportation used. Miyazaki's ability as a director is unquestionable in how he weaves his world to shape the characters and the story. It is as if he can build a realistic impression that these events have something to do with human life and are entirely unrelated. Some architectural styles can also be recognized from Howl's world, which includes:

Palace

On a larger scale, the story is set in a fictional kingdom called Ingary, with its royal center called Kingsbury. Unlike the people's settlements, inspired by Middle Age Gothic architecture, Kingsbury's city center leans more towards 18th-century French neo-classical, with its classical columns and other details.

Townhouses

The townhouse that serves as the setting for Sophie's daily life was inspired by the town of Colmar in the Grand Est province of France, which uses Middle Age Gothic style in its buildings.

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's house, a moving castle, was probably inspired by Ron Herron's Walking: Cities Archigram 5 from 1964. It is a vision of a city that moves to facilitate human needs and movement. But unlike Walking: Cities, whose facade is clean and shiny, the face of the howl house is full of steampunk nuances.

Archigram or Architecture Telegram is a community of neo-futurist, avant-garde, radical, and experimental artists and designers. Founded in 1961 in London, they used technology as the main inspiration in their hypothetical projects. Their works in the form of illustrations, pop-art comics, exhibitions, and films played an important role in pop culture in the 1960s and have had a lasting influence on architecture today.

One of the things that Biwasmin captured in this film is the anti-war narrative conveyed; Miyazaki, who does not like the existence of war, wants to criticize the Iraq War, which erupted when this film was published.

Perhaps many Biws already know the conflict between classical and gothic architecture, as well as classical and modern architecture. So apart from the direct meaning, there are also implied things in the form of architectural elements in the movie.

1. The palace that issued the war decree is represented by neo-classical architecture, which is a derivative of classical architecture

2. The people who did not like the existence of the war are represented by Gothic architecture

3. Howl himself, who wants to stop the war, is represented by modern architecture.

How about it, Biws? Isn't it interesting how a good depiction of the setting can raise the story elements to be better and even more evocative for the audience with a meaningful story?

Sense of Place

Written as part of a weekly article in the journalistic account "Biwastu" under the auspices of HMA Widyastana Architecture. Reported to add literature as a way to create a-more-contextualized designs.

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Biws may have often heard theory or design lecturers talk about a "Sense of Place," but what exactly is it?

Sense of Place is a feeling, a sensation obtained when visiting a place or building that becomes the site's or structure's identity. One of the things that plays a role in shaping the sense of place is memory. From our experiences in the area, when we revisit it in the future, we will remember it tied to memories in the past.

According to Bhinnety (2008), some experiences, such as joyous or traumatic events, can be remembered better than others. Animal studies show that when an exciting event occurs, the adrenal medulla increases its secretion in the bloodstream, strengthening memory.

One example of this is daily life at home. When we were young, everyone gathered around the dining table, enjoying dinner and chatting about our daily lives. That activity seems simple, but as adults, we feel that it is a happy memory because home no longer feels like home without siblings who are married or parents who have passed away.

It can also be from the images we build from reading, watching videos, or other things from which we learn what aspects can be associated with that place. So before going to the site, we already have a picture first, without knowing the reality.

For example, according to historia.id, how Indonesia became a new tourist destination in the first half of the 20th century due to the promotion carried out by the Dutch East Indies Government through postcard media, both landscapes and people wearing traditional clothing. This became a European image of the East Indies, with exotic and beautiful scenery. A picture formed due to the influx of knowledge from something that was never known before.

High-rise Building Culture and Construction

For my 2019 Biwastu Journalist Internship side assignment, I had to create several pieces that I wrote based on my interest in culture and history.

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In building construction lessons, you may have learned that the taller the building, the greater the vertical pressure from the pull of gravity and the horizontal force from the blowing wind. There are many ways to overcome these two forces; one relatively old way is to imitate the shape of a pyramid, significant at the bottom and tapering upwards. An example is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which has 163 floors and stands 829.8 meters high.

Another way to deal with wind thrust is to install a counterweight in the center. If what was written earlier is to put a retaining structure in the center of the building. This is the case with the Taipei 101 building in Taipei, Taiwan, which is 509.20m tall. The ball, which weighs 730 tons, was initially installed to maintain the balance of the building during powerful wind currents. But who would have thought that during the 2008 earthquake in Taipei, this ball saved the building from collapsing and killing hundreds of people inside and around the building. In addition to using structural science in designing these tall buildings, cultural aspects can also be another consideration in designing structures that do not go against the wind.

In the coastal areas of Hong Kong, for example, there is a belief that a dragon and its children live together in a hill area. According to the local view, the dragon will come down occasionally to bathe with its young in the sea. Blocking the way for the dragon and his family to go to the ocean will bring bad luck to the locals. One of the buildings that implemented this was The Repulse Bay, designed by Foster + Partner in 1986. It replaced the previous hotel building of the same name and is a historical relic in Hong Kong, built-in 1920 in a colonial style.

But the "Dragon Pit" is part of the feng shui practice that dates back to imperial times in China. Feng shui is the practice of harmonizing a building with its surroundings, and applying this "Dragon Pit" is believed to invite good luck and repel bad luck. So the practice of feng shui itself has become so ingrained in Hong Kong society that it has become part of the local mythos.

Another more practical reason for making this hole is one way to reduce the effects of high-rise building construction in Hong Kong. With so many high-rise buildings being built there, it creates an effect for the residents called the wall effect, which makes the surrounding community complain because, in addition to blocking the view, the airflow is also blocked by many tall buildings. Of course, with such a situation, the government finally made regulations to create gaps between structures, but this does not apply to private facilities and only to commercial buildings. So we can see that the proper design considerations can accommodate various concepts supporting our design from multiple sides.