miho

As you can see in an attached picture, the front façade has been in-lined in height with zelkoba trees which has been long symbol of Omotesando (Road to Shrine). By entering the new complex which is commercial building filled with boutiques, restaurants and other conveniences are located on a periphery of triangular shaped spiral ramps surrounding the atrium. Because of continuous ramp, you can continuously walk, as if you are still walking on a street of Omotesando, the ramp has been designed at same inclination with the street at 3%. I have walked on a ramp from bottom to top, but I did not feel any uneasy feeling and pressure at my leg muscles. So, it is Ando’s intension to capture total image of existing Omotesando within this complex.

Another interesting architectural aspect was that the grand stair designed in a middle of atrium will spread wide as you go down reminded the shape of old site. This stair designed to connect upper ground floor with basement floors which helped to combine circulation at ramps and offers relaxing space as if there are an oasis in a middle of atrium.

When you witness this new complex in front of your eyes, you completely forget former architecture, “Dojunkai Apartment” first modern apartment in Japan, which occupied this site for many years. However, Ando did not forget to make part of old Dojunkai , a gallery space, to retain some past vocabulary into a new complex. However, I feel this treatment was really not successfully done. Ando probably did his best to take over the tradition of old site into new. By doing so, a spirit of Dojunkai had been just none less than a residue of burnt tradition.

I felt very sad that when traditionalism and commercialism must blend together in one complex as a commercial complex, tradition will just become a mere cosmetic over the tradition. Of course, a design under the commercialism will place a high priority on business aspect of structure, which will undoubtedly distort the original tradition, in a way, an irony for the project.

After the World War II, Japan was completely reformed and became a perfect model of how democracy can make better society under by American occupation. As history demonstrates, Japan has been performed high economic recovery and now became a major leading country in economy. To make new structure, as in an automotive industry, was employed as a basic tool to stimulate the economy. As a result, old architecture has been demolished at high speed. For sake of pushing the economy to higher level, architecture was very natural thing to create from old to new. Of course that the natural disaster also acted as catalyst to change from old to new, but I feel this tendency belong to more to the socio-economic factor prevailing over the economy. During this process, many historical valued structures have been erased off from the seen and at same time have been taken out from the architectural stock. I feel it is a great loss to the tradition of Japan and should be reconsidered.

By looking economic driven country, like Japan, I feel, it is worth studying how European countries see their tradition in historical buildings and city seen when making old to a new. For architect, who takes a part in changing urban seen has a responsibility to pass the tradition to the posterior will certainly be one of major concern. Many historical structures doomed to be disappear has history and tradition and affections by many go with them. Many Japanese including myself believe that by pursing too many of present trend and maximum profit out of investment will often forget or ignore to love for tradition and historical meanings.

It is little sad and mournful to say that the architecture now in Japan taken up by trendy magazine conceived purely for economic profit cycle often pursue instant beauty or unexpected impact which will soon be forgotten and be obsolete. As we see in fashion world architecture also now being regarded as one of fashion where people will be excited to see and visit for a while. Observing from stand point of history with distinct architectural history, Japan is leaving from good old tradition which was nurtured with affection and time.

As one of designer who will create for future urban seen should always answer one’s own question as to what we should leave for our posterity and what we should produce as a new. I would certainly be asking same question if I faced similar situation as architect Ando did in his Omotesando Project.