PA2. Opinions

Meet an architect

Kazuyo Sejima  is a japanese architect that is known for her clean modernist designs. Sejima’s architecture tends to use arrangements of curves reminding natural forms. She ussually incorporates materials like glass and translucent elements so the natural light can enter the space creating a smooth transition between indoors and outdoors. Therefore, she successfully connects the building with its surroundings, creating reflections of the outside world into the inside of the building.

Sejima deliberately overturns outdated stereotypical living patterns that illustrate the proper living of a nuclear japanese family. Her intention isn’t to totally reject tradition outright, but to question and challenge their conventional design process. She thinks it is impossible to let a building completely be based on a fictional idea of what something should be. Sejima redefines the “design process” as “process designs” meaning that it is while doing the process that the design is made.

The importance of environment is always present in her works; “People meet in architecture”. In fact, buildings are where common people live their lives, they think in it and habitate it. Therefore it conditions their behaviour and their moods. A proper space to study isn’t the same proper space to whatch a film or see a concert. Moreover, ambience is important to consider when designing a building. She believes that it is a part of their profession to use space as a medium to express our thoughts. Speaking about architecture, Sejima says “Architecture is where immagination encounters life”.

These are some of her projects that have caught my eye.

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Rolex Learning Center
Glass Pavilion, Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio
S-House, Okayama

The predominant use of wood in the interior of the S-House creates a warm space bathed by a diffused light. This allows to evoke the atmosphere of the traditional Japanese house without having to make any direct allusions to it. This is also denoted by the resemblance of the exterior material to paper, which is also very used in Japan traditional architecture to make windows.

I find this architect very fascinating because looking through her projects we can perceive the interesting combination of modernism and japanese cultural elements of composition. Her way of managing light in space depending on local conditions and giving it its importance, is what I think makes her projects be art, arquitecture.

Reading and comprehension of a text and reflections

This week we had to read the book entitled Quiero ser Arquitecto written by Alberto Campo Baeza. In the text, the author reflects his thoughts about the profession and the development of the architect from a simple perspective. It is interesting how the file is uploaded by Amag!, an architecture magazine for children. Through the reading I learnt how to define an architect in three different complementary ways. An architect is first and foremost a creator, someone who performs as an artist; a thinker, someone that devise technicities; and a constructor, someone that construct and dream of original ideas.

The author includes some advice to take advantage of your time as a student in architecture career. In fact, we have to cultivate ourselves in order to grew with a good vision of ideas and projects. Firstly, I learn it is important to draw all the curious forms you see and projects in our minds trying to make analalytic and expressive drawings or paintings. Then, practising, looking photography will help you to understand the importance of light in the perception of space. It is essential to enjoy the process and don’t focused that much on the results obtained. It is in general necessary to be curious in art, try to reflect on everything you perceive, read or listen to.

Personally, I found this advice precious because I think that experimenting, analysing, contemplating art is one of most pragmatic and beautiful activities to do to understand the world. It is through drawing, photography, thinking, litterature or poetry where we can introspect on our culture but also look after the futur. I consider that being open to art is similar to open a window in a house, it lets the light enter, it refresh the space and give life to its interior. Therefore, new ideas can born and old thoughts can start making sense in our head and spirit. Moreover, in architecture this forms a fundemental part of the creation process.