Gumna-No-Mori: Botanical Gallery

CAPRICCIO FOLLY AND CITY Studio.22 Design Journal

Mingchen Xu

Table of Content Prologue: • SIte • Background City: • Reflection on the New City • Project 3: City Epilogue: • Capriccio 1 & 2 • Folly 1, 2, 3 • Diary Bibliography

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PROLOGUE

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Site The site of the New City located in the where Arata Isozaki’s Gunma Prefectural Museum of art sits. In the site of Gunma-ni-mori which is a huge forest reserve park, the sourroundings and the natural shows a lovely harmony here.

Just like Isozaki’s Gunma Prefectural Museum of Fine Art, The human sapce and natural environmen are integrated together into one space, in this way, I start wondering, in what kind of ways I can immitate the organic form, and thus try to create a set of space that people can not tell which is human constructed space and which is natural space? With this question, I choose this site with full of woods, try to extract Isozaki’s famous diagram (Figure1) of Gunma Museum, and extend this idea to a further step with Integration of nature.

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Figure 1. Gunma Prefectural Museum of Fine Art design diagram by Arata Isozaki

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Figure 2. Gunma - no - mori Satellite map plan from Nearmap.com

With this idea in my mind, I plan to look at Gunma-no-mori (Figure 2) as my New CIty’s site, by doing the site research I also studied the sity and the state.

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I found out that Gunma Prefecture is actually a part of the Great Tokyo Area, as the most undeveloped area in the loop. The prefecture mainly relies on its agriculture and manufecture as the major income industry. Just like the site, the whole city area and the prefecture is in a really rural condition and undeveloped if according to post-modernism orurbanism perspective views.

Figure 3. Gunma - no - mori Site plan

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The Plan shows a really rural condition (Figure 3), according to this, I developed a site plan according to its green area, river, and countryside villages.

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Project Background Located in Gunma-no-mori, considered one of Arata Isozaki’s greatest masterpieces, the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma stands as a testimony to Isozaki’s architectural ideology and represents a summary of his achievements. The form is a conceptual statement about the museum as void and frame.

Isozaki’s use of a pure cube makes the building weightless and dematerializes the architecture.

No dimensions have hierarchy within the cube, and therefore stillness and repose is manifested within the structure. The equality of every member deteriorates the notion that any forces are acting upon the cubic forms, and the aluminum squares that mask the facade hide the structure to further allude to a weightless figure.

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Figure 3. Axo plan, Museum of Fine Art, Gunma, Isozaki, 1974

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Figure 5. Plan, Museum of Fine Art, Gunma, Isozaki, 1974

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Figure 5. Section, Museum of Fine Art, Gunma, Isozaki, 1974

Figure 5. Elevation, Museum of Fine Art, Gunma, Isozaki, 1974

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CITY

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Reflection Understand new architectural concepts from a natural perspective in the natural environment.

In the context of the natural environment, I hope to present a new architectural concept in which the artificial environment and the natural environment are integrated and unified in concept and structure. This architectural concept includes thinking in two dimensions of time and space.

First of all, I want to talk about the opportunities for the development of this concept. Since the development of architectural technology, any unconstrained ideas can be realized. The expressionist architecture is too arbitrary and competent. The practical function of the building serves the occupants, while the artistic function may be subjectively out of control by the architect. The disconnection between function and form may not matter, but it is difficult to

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achieve history. After all, it is just a derivative of the times. A perfect building should pursue theoretical unity and completeness.

In such an environment, I chose to return to nature and explore the essence of architecture in the natural environment. In the process of pursuing the harmony and unity of natural space and man-made space, in this experiment, I first simulated a new architectural concept based on the architectural consensus.

In this concept, first of all, the essence of architecture is man-made space, which has practical functions, and it can also have non-essential functions such as artistic functions, including the aesthetic function of the target population and the function of recording and carrying time and history to a certain extent. It must be combined with the form and manifested through the form.

Here, due to the difference in the experience space between visiting and living, I proposed that the external space shape is more inclined

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to carry history and expression, and the internal indoor space shows more practical functions of residence. In order to complete the artistic function of bearing history, the building must have the eternity of the external appearance and structure, and the interior must have considerable flexibility and changeability allowed on the appearance and structure due to more practical functions, and have the characteristics of adapting to temporaryity.

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Figure 6. Isometric, New City aerial view, Xu

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Figure 7. Plan, New City, Xu

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Figure 8. Isometric, Trees’ diagram, Xu

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Figure 9. Isometric, Void / Solid diagram, Xu

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Figure 10. Isometric, Connection diagram, Xu

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Figure 11. Plan, Part 1, Xu

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Figure 12. Isometric, Part 1, Xu

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Figure 13. Plan, Part 2, Xu

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Figure 14. Axo, Trees’ Gallery, Part 2, Xu

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Figure 15. Isomatric, Part 2, Xu

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Figure 16. Section, Part 3, Xu

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Figure 17. Isomatric, Part 3, Xu

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Figure 18. Isomatric, Part 3, Xu

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Figure 17. Isomatric, Part 4, Xu

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Figure 18. Isomatric, Part 4, Xu

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Figure 19. Plan, Part 5, Xu

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Figure 20. Isometric, Part 5, Xu

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Figure 21. Plan, Part 6, Xu

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Figure 22. Isometric, Part 6, Xu

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Figure 23. Plan, Part 7, Xu

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Figure 24. Isometric, Part 7, Xu

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Figure 25. Plan, Part 8, Xu

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Figure 26. Isometric, Part 8, Xu

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EPILOGUE

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Capriccio

CAPRICCIO 1 AXO

Figure 27. Axo, Capriccio 1, Xu

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CAPRICCIO 1 AXO

CAPRICCIO 1 PERSPECTIVE

Figure 28. View from inside, Capriccio 1, Xu

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Figure 29. Isometric, Capriccio 2, Xu

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Figure 30. Perspective view from street, Capriccio 2, Xu

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Folly

FOLLY 1 AXO ISOMETRIC

Figure 31. Axo, Folly 1, Xu

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FOLLY 1 PERSPECTIVE SECTION FRAGMENT

Figure 32. Perspective section, Folly 1, Xu

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FOLLY 1 PERSPECTIVE SECTION FRAGMENT

SECTION

PLAN

FOLLY 1 PLAN / SECTION

Figure 33. Plan / section, Folly 1, Xu

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FOLLY 2 AXO

Figure 34. Axo, Folly 2, Xu

SECTION

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FOLLY 2 AXO

SECTION

FOLLY 2 SECTION

Figure 35. Elevation, Folly 2, Xu

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FRAGMENT

Figure 36. Isometric, Folly 2, Xu

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FRAGMENT

FOLLY 2 PERSPECTIVE

Figure 37. Perspective, Folly 2, Xu

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FOLLY 3 PERSPECTIVE

Figure 38. Perspective, Folly 3, Xu

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FOLLY 3 PERSPECTIVE

FOLLY 3 PERSPECTIVE

Figure 39. Perspective, Folly 3, Xu

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FOLLY 3 SECTION

Figure 40. Section, Folly 3, Xu

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FOLLY 3 SECTION

FOLLY 3 FRAGMENT

Figure 41. Fragments, Folly 3, Xu

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Model

Folly 1 photograph

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Folly 1 photograph

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Folly 2 photograph

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Folly 3 photograph

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Diary

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Figure 42. Working process, Capriccio1

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Figure 43. Working process, Capriccio1

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Figure 44. Working process, Capriccio 2

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Figure 45. Working process, Capriccio2

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Figure 46. Working process, Capriccio 2

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Figure 47. Working process, Capriccio2

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SOCIAL PROBLRMS

MANIFESTO

1. BOOST SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT 2. HOUSING PROBLEM WILL EXPLOSE 3. WORKING CLASS OR EVEN MIDDLE CLASS HAVE TO SHARE THE COMMUNAL SPACE 4. CREATE BETTER COMMUNAL HOUSING SPACE FOR WORKING CLASS AND TEMPERAR INHABITANTS

1. BRING PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE FAMILY BACK INTO THE HOUSE 2. INCREASING THE OPPERTUNITIES TO DWELL OUTSIDE THE HOUSE 3. REFINE THE GAPS BETWEEN DEWLLINGS 4. CREATING SPACES THAT ALLOW PEOPLE LIVE AND WORK AT HOME

SINGLE BEDROOM KITCHEN TOILET

1. SOCIAL STRUCTURE IS MORE FRAGMENTED 2. MORE AND MORE PRIVATE AND ENCLOSED SPACE 3. NO COMMUNAL AND PUBLIC SPACE 4. EVERYONE WORKS AT HOME RATHER THAN PUBLIC SPACE

A4

SOCIAL HOUSING

FLEXIBLE HOME

2.5m BOX

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POSITIVE SPACE: LIVING ESSENTIALS

NEGATIVE SPACE: ACTIVITY / WORKING

BEDROOMS KITCHEN WASHING CLOSETS FOYER

LIVING ROOM DINING ROOM STUDY WORKING SPACE ZOOM MEETING SPACE BALCONY

DOUBLE BEDROOM ... ... ...

MASTER BEDROOM ... ... ...

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EXAMPLE a : SINGLE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL / STUDENT

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BOXES AS LIVING ESSENTIALS 2× BOX

3× BOX

NEGATIVE SPACES AS ACTIVITY / WORKING SPACE

EXAMPLE b: YOUNG WORKING COUPLE

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POSITIVE SPACE: LIVING ESSENSIALS B WC

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WC

B

L WC

A4

WC

B

L A4

A4

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NEGATIVE SPACE: ACTIVITY / WORKING

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K

K

K

K

WC

B EXTERIOR WALL

EXTERIOR WALL

EXTERIOR WALL

Figure 48. Working process, City

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S EXTERIOR WALL

Figure 49. Working process, City

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Figure 50. Working process, City

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Figure 51. Working process, City

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Figure 50. Working process, City

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Figure 51. Working process, City

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Figure 51. Working process, City

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Increasingly fragmented social structures leading to more private spaces than communal spaces, enclosed spaces due to air conditioning, building to the edge of the lot to maximise interior space rather than exterior space, which also leads to gaps between houses becoming so small as to be useless.

—— Tsukamoto

Figure 52. Working process, City

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Figure 52. Working process, City

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1. Bringing people from outside the family back into the house; 2. Increasing the opportunities to dwell outside the house; 3. Redefining the gaps.

Figure 53. Working process, City

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1. Architecture form the space with enclosure, not taking up the space.

2. Flexibility 3. Adaptability

Figure 54. Working process, City

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1. Architecture form the space with enclosure, not taking up the space.

2. Flexibility 3. Adaptability

Figure 55. Working process, City

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Figure 56. Working process, City

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Figure 57. Working process, City

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Figure 58. Working process, City

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Figure 59. Working process, City

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THREE MAIN CONFLICTS

1. Balance between Constraction and Demolishment 2. Balance between Interior and Exterior 3. Balance between Living and Visiting

Figure 60. Working process, City

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Figure 61. Working process, City

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Figure 62. Working process, City

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9-11-81-108). New York: Monacelli Press.

Brown, A. A Night at the Space Electronic, or the Radical Architectures of 1971’s ‘Vita, Morte e Miracoli dell’Architettura’. Fabulation : myth, nature, heritage : proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Launceston, Tas. : Society of Architectural Historians of Australia & New

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Zealand, 2012.: 153-163.

Koolhaas, R. (1996). Postscript Introduction for New Research. Theorizing a new agenda for architecture: an anthology of architectural theory 1965-1995. K. Nesbitt. New York, Princeton Architectural Press: 322-325.

Kim, D. and D. Scott (2002). “Architecture and Freedom? Programmatic Innovation in the Work of Koolhaas/OMA.” Journal of Architectural Education (1984-) 56(1): 4.

Alexis, P. (2015). “Build, baby, build: when radical architects did disco.” Guardian.

Betsky, A. (2003). Rem Koolhaas: The Fire of Manhattanism inside the Iceberg of Modernism. Considering Rem Koolhaas and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture: what is OMA. R. Koolhaas, V. Patteeuw, A. Nederlands, B. Staatliche Museen zu and A. Office for Metropolitan.

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Rotterdam, NAi Publishers: 25-39.

Hill, D. (2018). House NA, By Sou Fujimoto. “The Quiet Accumulation of Urban Elements Rooted in Daily Life” (2).

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