Gothic on the Shore


A projects for a rental villa in Hayama-cho along the Pacific coast.In front of the villa is the immense ocean, with a distant view of Mount Fuji beyond the horizon seen on a clear day. In the back lie the mountains of Miura peninsula. The site is positioned right on the topographic border between the sea and mountains - a typical Hayama landscape. I felt an uneasiness about the universal/urban scent emitted by the geometry - Cartesian coordinate system - generally used in architectural design, inside such rich natural environment.
As an alternative geometry basis, I opted for a polar coordinate system, defining space in terms of distance and angle from a center . It seemed to me that the polar coordinate system, which gives description of position within a relationship between entities independently from panoramic viewpoints, would be 'better off' in an environment like this one.
A sequence of three circumscribing circles with different radius makes up a system of reference lines that is seemingly random in structure but rational in terms of structure/existence.
Boomerang-shaped 'column-beam' parts made of die-cut steel plate 6 mm thick are rotated and reproduced along the reference lines, forming a tree structure. They are interconnected to create a strong framework of successive arches. Finally to shape the architecture, three layers of such framework are then trimmed to the extent of ensuring necessary floor area.
the building has a face of a ultra-thin Gothic architecture, abstracted/simplified to 6 mm thick. It is also suggestive of a crystallized aggregation of a forest. Maybe a structurally/existentially rational building is infinitely close to nature.
'Blending of nature and architecture' - one of the ideas of Gothic, as I recall.


『GA houses 86』2005.3/A.D.A.EDITA Tokyo -GA HOUSES PROJECT 2005