ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
Design Works 2020 Kaito Takakuma
01Project: Diploma
Grade: 4th year Final semester (2019 / 5 months)
Site: Yoyogi-uehara, Tokyo Building Type: Islamic Community
Lale blooming in cherry blossoms
In Japanese cherry blossoms, Istanbul tulips make buds.
In the Islamic region, while there are Arab countries that are rich in oil money and are developing through the construction of skyscrapers, there are many areas where the victims of terrorism and conflicts are inevitable.
As of 2019, the Muslim population accounts for about 1/4 of the world population, and it is estimated that it will be about 1/3 in 2030. Even in Japan, the rapid increase in Muslim population is no exception. About 1,500 Muslims in the 1980s exceeded 200,000.
The history of Islam in Japan dates back about 80 years.
Approximately 600 Turkish Tatars, exiled by the Russian Revolution in 1920, emigrated to Japan. About 200 of them lived around Tokyo. Later, Yoyogi Uehara-based place of worship for Muslim merchants, the Tokyo Islamic Temple, was constructed. At that time, Japan was conducting information gathering activities overseas in order to recover from the power of Europe. The Islamic research group was established in Japan by taking advantage of this. The government has carried out "extension activities" across the country.
After the war, Islamic circumstances in the country changed drastically. As a result of the defeat, the Japanese government, the military, the right-wing groups, etc., which provided financial and physical support, were dismantled by the order of GHQ. As a result, Muslims living in Japan had to use their own power to proclaim. They started an Islamic organization from scratch and gradually expanded its scale. With the expansion of Japanese companies overseas in the rapid economic growth and the oil crisis in 1973, the Middle East region received widespread attention.
Many foreign workers flowed into Japan, which entered the bubble economy from the latter half of the 1980s, and were employed at factories and construction sites. While the number of Muslims has increased, there has been a shortage of worship facilities in Tokyo, and more people have used a building or apartment as a temporary place of worship. The number of places of worship was overwhelmingly smaller than the number of foreign Muslims in Japan. In addition, the Tokyo Islamic Temple, which had been used as a large-scale place of worship for group worship, has been demolished due to deterioration. It was said that a space for 5,000 people was required when eating after Ramadan.
In the 1990s, more and more Muslims who stayed in Japan and Japanese women were married and had families. As a result, a second generation was born, and there were more than 100,000 Muslims living in Japan at that time. Also, due to the training system of Japanese companies, the number of trainees and international students visited has further increased the population.
Today, most Muslims in Japan live as workers in the suburbs or suburbs of Tokyo. Foreign Islamic culture is steadily reaching our neighbors, and in the near future it will be necessary to create a more coexisting environment. In this project, a shared house will be planned as a community that expands based on the plans of temporary mosques and public plazas, which are required for group worship and Eid (great festival after Ramadan or meals after worship).
This production centered on Tokyo Camii to help promote the Islamic community in Tokyo.
The Tokyo Muslim Temple opened in 1938 was the birth of Japan's largest mosque, alongside the Kobe mosque in Hyogo. Tokyo Camii, which was rebuilt in the same place in 2000, is still the face of the city as a base.
Yoyogi Uehara, which was once owned by the government and large companies in Tokyo, is still known as a high-class residential area. Among them, Halal restaurants and share houses exclusively for Muslims are scattered, and the Islamic community is expanding. In addition, there are many educational facilities, cultural facilities, and shopping districts on the south side of the site, and many families can be seen. It can be said that the city is full of men and women of all ages and people with diverse backgrounds. On the other hand, the site, which rises from southeast to northwest, has a maximum height difference of 8m across the track. The underpass, which is occupied by lumber yard, parking lot, and substation, obstructs north-south traffic.
A group worship every Friday at Tokyo Camii. Many people come to worship not only in Tokyo but also from regional city, and nearly 300 Muslims gather.
The prayer room on the second floor will be full, so the worship mat you bring will be spread outdoors and worship will be held at the same time.
Since the hands and feet are washed before worship, prayers' shoes are lined up in front of the praying room.
After the worship service, foods are prepared, and you can enjoy conversation in the same space while eating. Mosque connects people.
The functional layout of mosques commonly used in the Middle East is unsuitable for Japan, which does not have a large site. Therefore, the elements of the mosque will be divided into three parts, a corridor, a courtyard, and a dome, and each will be converted into one suitable for the site.
The corridor is divided and stacked to secure a floor area. The courtyard, which has a afferent on a flat surface, gives a sense of afferent in the three-dimensional direction by lowering the central level.
The dome becomes an icon that does not overly assert itself, and also acts as a roof covering the square.
Mosques in the Middle East are generally widespread horizontally. The courtyard attached to the prayer room at almost the same level is surrounded by a corridor space. From the entrance, you will pass through the semi-outdoor corridor and lead to the prayer room, looking out onto the courtyard.
Making use of the characteristic slope of the site, the prayer circulation is moved not only horizontally but also vertically.
The existing elevated columns will be used to create a corridor. Visitors from the station flow from the entrance under the elevated track, located on the east side of the site, to the underground Wudu space (to cleanse the body). After that, follow the axis pointing in the direction of Mecca and go up the stairs to reach the prayer room.
02Project: Studio
Grade: 3rd year Final semester (2018 / 3 months)
Site: Ueno, Tokyo
Building Type: Art Museum
The cherry blossoms in full bloom seen from Ueno Plateau are the most famous spots in Edo and attracted many people. The vibrant shades of pine greens, Bentendo reds, and Shinobazu pond's indigo blues have brought a lively atmosphere to this place.
Since the Edo period, Ueno Plateau, which is located in Ueno Park, and Shitaya, which is lined with townhouses, have developed together. The area is more lively on holidays than on weekdays, as the cultural halls, museums, and zoos are still gathering and the access is good. It is divided into a station / shopping street area where traffic is heavy and a park area where cultural facilities are gathered. Plan a construction that will also be the "gateway" to the area that has two characteristics.
不忍池/Shinobazu Pond
上野山/Ueno Plateau
It was when I visited the Unité d'Habitation by Le Corbusier. At the edge of the roof, which is reminiscent of the ship, there was a small stage consisting of four steps and a wall. The “wall” becomes high and extremely thin as it approaches. I walked over to the back of the stage as if I was invited and enjoyed the view from the roof. The thin concrete wall that appeared to be independent felt very light and transparent.
While securing the circulation from the station or park, the walls are lined up so as to be hand drawn. By combining multiple “transparent” walls at Unité d'Habitation, I think we can make something lighter than it looks. I wondered if the resulting architecture could be an object which visually controls the mixture of areas and physically connects the two.
Museum volume is formed by combining these irregular outer walls.The texture of the concrete wall surface expresses the time change of a day unit by casting a small shadow. The Corten steel expresses the annual change over time due to rust.
Create a “gap” according to the amount of traffic and traffic. These are the main exits to the other side of the site.
The upper part should be depressed on the Ueno Plateau side, and the lower part should be depressed on the Shinobazu pond side.
The landscape on the other side is cut out by intricate walls, creating different scenes each time.
03
Project: Studio
Grade: 4th year First semester (2018 / 1 month) Site: Tsukishima, Tokyo Building Type: Housing
3
It depicts a scene full of people's lives in the Edo period. While the fish is being prepared, all the landladys come to buy it.
At that time, many people went round and round the row houses. It must have been a lively scene with a human touch.
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In recent years, redevelopment of skyscrapers has been remarkably progressing in central Tokyo. While there are many architectures that extend upwards, there are row houses with a traditional atmosphere at their feet. There is old wisdom to make the most of the small site and create a comfortable living space.
In this project, the condition of width 3,600 mm (internal method) × depth 7,200 mm (internal method) × 10,800 mm (maximum height) was given as the volume of a small house. It is a cube formed with a ratio of 1 : 2 3 Since the tenement house shares the walls of adjacent houses, openings are allowed only in the facade and the upper part of the building.
How do people live in this narrow 1 : 2 : 3 space? By connecting one space with another space, I attempted to make people feel the existence of a space adjacent to their own space and express their expanse.
In 1892, Tokyo Bay was reclaimed and Tsukishima was born. Mostly wooden row houses were used as housing. Even now there are many buildings that retain this shape and reflect the rich history of Tokyo bay.
A facade placed parallel to the pavement becomes a two-sided screen by folding.
A view cut out from one side. Folded screens give a sense of depth and cause the illusion of a wide-angle view.
Project: Design Workshop
Grade: 3rd year (2017 / 1 month)
Location: Italy, LʼAquira
Building Type: Cultural Center
Project: Building Mock-up Workshop
Grade: 3rd year (2018 / 1 month)
Location: France, Bordeaux
Building Type: Tensegrity Structure
