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Nebuta Festival 2010
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A partial inspection of the steel ribbon facade screen was conducted at the factory of Kikukawa. At the factory a whole hall is reserved for the production of the facade screen. Here the bending and the welding of the brackets takes place. Hereafter the ribbons are shipped to a factory in Kawasaki for blasting and coating, after which they are send to Aomori by trailer. The transport of the 12 m long ribbons takes place on large size trucks. On site with a pace of 10 ribbons a day the installation takes place. The handeling of these 12 m long and 9 mm tick pre-bend ribbons is not easy. On site they are lifted in place one by one, but first they have to be brought into an upright position without damage.
For each ribbon the angle at the bottom is determined, while the top part is parralel to the building, but inbetween these fixed points the ribbons are bend without preset parameters. This means that the steelwokers will have to judge from the available drawings and the images of the model the extend of the bending. The test set-up conducted on site in February showed a relatively straightforward area, today a more complex area was inspected. A part of the entrance area, there where the ribbons are bend to the side to create a passage. Because of the complexity of the form in this area, it was not possible to make the ribbons form one steel plate, instead two steel plates were welded together after bending. In all the impression is that the result will be close to the design intend.
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The opening date for Warasse has been set and announced. The yomiuri on-line anounces the opening date Janaury 5th 2011.http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/aomori/news/20100729-OYT8T00112.htm Also the official web-site of Warasse anounces the date and that the doors will be open from 9:00 am.http://www.nebuta.or.jp/warasse/warasse/index.html
INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2011
Nebuta-no-ie Warasse awarded THE INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2011The World’s Most Prestigious Global Awards for New
Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interiors, and Urban Planning
ORGANIZED BY
The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design
The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies
AND Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd.
The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd. have organized The International Architecture Awards as away in which to honor the best, new significant buildings and landscape and planning projects designed and/or built around the world by the most important architects, landscape architects and urban planners practicing nationally and internationally.
The International Architecture Awards give an important global overview of the current aesthetic direction of today’s commercial, corporate, institutional, and residential work to the real estate, banking, business, and corporate community, as well as to the press and general public worldwide.
The program is one of the Museum’s most important public education outreach initiatives produced throughout the year—to the Museum’s international audience.
The International Architecture Awards are dedicated to the recognition of excellence in architecture and urbanism from a global point-of-view.
The program pays tribute to new developments in design and underscores the directions and understanding of current cutting-edge processes consistent with today’s design thinking.
This year’s program honors new (2009-2012) corporate, institutional, commercial, residential architecture, interiors, and urban planning, designed for both built and unbuilt projects alike.
This years Jury:
THE ASSOCATION OF POLISH ARCHITECTS SARP
Warsaw, Poland
May 2011
Jerzy Grochulski
President, SARP
Andrzej Bulanda
Bulanda Mucha Architekci Sp. z.o.o.
Grzegorz Stiansny
Grzegorz Stiansny Architeki
Jacek Syropolski
Kurylowicz & Associates
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View of the entrance hall with the reception desk.
For the purpose of promoting the new facilities by the management company some perspectives were made. This is the shop area.
The cafe area.
The restaurant area.
Proposal for the furniture: computer area of the Information Square on the second floor.
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Nebuta-no-ie Warasse was published by a Architectural magazine called Albenaa in Saudi Arabia.
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The cafe-restaurant area.
View from the entrance hall towards the entrance to the cafe.
View towards the entrance hall.
Steelwork of the performance hall.
View from the seating area through the planned openings towards the sea.
On site coloring and polishing test of the concrete floor. Both the tone and the sheen were tested on site.
MIPIM AR Future Projects Award 2010 for Nebuta-no-ie Warasse
Retail & Leisure Category Winner – Nebuta-no-ie Warasse, Aomori City, Japan, designed by molo Japan kk & d/dt Arch Inc and Frank la Rivière Architects Inc for City of Aomori. The Nebuta House is designed to exhibit Nebuta art (huge paper creatures, warriors and demons) during the annual August festival. A screen of twelve meter tall steel ribbons encloses an outdoor walkway, intended as a threshold between the mythical world inside and the contemporary city outside. The judges felt that Nebuta House was a joyful and elegant response to the whole idea of display, with the restraint of the frozen wrap of the architecture a perfect foil to the exuberance of the Nebuta figures inside.
The Awards will be presented during a special celebratory dinner held in Cannes on 17 March 2010 during the MIPIM market, an event that has become one of the hot ticket evenings of the MIPIM week. There will also be a permanent exhibition of all entrants on display on the London Stand, and all winning and commended schemes will be published in the official catalogue which is distributed to all registered MIPIM delegates.
JUDGING PANEL
Paul Finch, Editor emeritus, The Architectural Review; Chair-designate,
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
Roger Zogolovitch, Managing director, Solid Space; architect and developer
Peter Stewart, PSPCA, Architecture and planning consultant
Dr Sutherland Lyall, Architectural historian and former Buildings editor, The
Architects’ Journal
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Logo design for Nebuta-no-ie Warasse was decided by the mayor of Aomori.
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Cherry blossom viewing around Hirozaki castle. Normally in this time of the year the trees would have been in full blossom, but this year because of the low temperatures hardly any trees were in blossom.
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On the South side of the building the pre-cast concrete (Spancrete) panels have been installed.
The Nebuta hall that will eventually feature 5 Nebutas is graually becoming visible.
A view of the entrance hall.
Next week an inspection of the facade mock-up will take place in the pressence of Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen of molo. Three colors have been selected as a first test to come to the final color for the ribbons. After the inspection the mock-up will be dismantled so this will be an important inspection to come to the final design.
A view from the engawa side showing the secundary structure.
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It has been snowing for about a week. A white blancket of 50 cm covers the site delaying the construction. But also resulting in some beautiful views.
Only one part of the steel structure still needs to be installed. This is the area around the Nebuta Door.
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Inspetion of the steel back-up mullions for the glass curtain wall. The mullions are solid steel and are galvanized with a phosphoric acid treatment (リン酸処理) with two layers of uretane clear lacquer.
The hole shows clearly that the mullion is solid. How many people will realize this after installation?
The location of the inspection was near Nagano city. After the inspection we quickly visited the temple before heading back to Tokyo.
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Gradually the shape of the building has become apparent. To the left (Block1; restaurant, Information square 2 and multi purpose space) the steel work and concrete floor at L2 have been finished while the deck-plate for the roof is being installed. Since the end of October block 2 was scheduled for completion. With about 10 days delay the steel work of this part as well as block 3 and 4 have been completed. On the 25 of November the installation of block 5 was on going. this part had initially been scheduled for November 12 and 13. The steel work of the Entrance hall will be installed in later phase and is here seen left open.
A view towards the Nebuta hall from the entrance hall area with to the left the restaurant and to the right the shop.
View of one of the tubular cross braises.
View from the second floor.
The steel part of the emergency straircase ST2 installed. The concrete of B1 is not yet fully cured and for that reason the formwork could not yet be removed. As soon as this can be done the part of the stair leading into the basement will be executed. This part will be in concrete.
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On the 23 a small ceremony was held on site to mark the start of the erection of the steel work.
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Inspection of the reinforcement steel bars.
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A 100 ton crane has been brought on site and in this image is assisting the installation of the reinforcement bars in the resaurant area.
Around the basement core a trench is still visible as works are still ongoing to remove the temporary retaining walls that kept the ground water out of the pit. As the concrete of the basement and the water barrier has been installed the removal of the barrier is undertaken before the connection between the L1 floor and the basement can be executed.
The basement nearing completion of the concrete walls.
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Site progress
Y-HOUSE & KOKUEI KAN project in MARQ Buenos Aires
From September 4th onwards we will have two projects in an exhibition titled [Antípodas
La arquitectura japonesa desde miradas argentinas or in English “Antipodes: Japanese architecture from an Argentine perspective”] centering on Japanese Architecture in the Museo de Arquitectura y Diseño (MARQ) of the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos (SCA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The curator of the exhibition is architecture historian Norberto Feal who has written an article on Y-House in which he included some time ago has selected Y-House and Kokueikan project for the exhibition.
The address is: Av. del Libertador 999 y Av. Callao, Buenos Aires.
Y-HOUSE & KOKUEI KAN Projects in MARQ Buenos Aires
Antípodas. La arquitectura japonesa desde miradas argentinas.
Lugar: Museo de Arquitectura y Diseño de la Sociedad Central de Arquitectos, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fecha: Septiembre de 2009
La muestra “Antípodas” reúne tres miradas sobre la arquitectura contemporánea de Japón.
Son tres miradas argentinas y, por lo tanto, situadas en las antípodas de los objetos observados. De esta condición surge el nombre de la muestra.
Son tres miradas curiosas y no habituales. Estudian lo distante y lo ajeno mediante observaciones que, desde fuera del entorno en que esta arquitectura se produce, se tornan dificultosas por lo incompleto de la información y los desconocimientos de antecedentes
y contextos.
Las tres miradas comparten una misma plataforma de observación: el quehacer universitario en la Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Buenos Aires. A partir de los equipos conformados por profesores, docentes y alumnos en distintas cátedras, se han construido y difundido en años recientes estas miradas, ampliando los temas de los programas académicos establecidos. De esta manera, abren un campo de estudio y revierten el procesamiento de una información lejana, extendiendo su conocimiento al público en general.
Las miradas hacen foco en el Japón contemporáneo, a partir de su despegue económico de posguerra. Dadas las tempranas y particulares relaciones de la arquitectura japonesa con la modernidad occidental, no resulta extraño buscar hoy sus continuidades y sus manifestaciones más actuales. Las miradas bordean la tradición histórica sin ignorarla, y se centran en el quehacer proyectual de finales del siglo XX e inicios del XXI.
Entre las cuestiones relevadas se destacan la creatividad e innovación de la arquitectura japonesa, logradas a veces con los más simples, y otras con los más sofisticados recursos espaciales y constructivos.
Se ha observado siempre obra construida, arquitecturas públicas de gran escala y obras privadas de dimensiones reducidas hasta lo inimaginable en Occidente.
Se exponen arquitectos consagrados y emergentes,
a través de varias generaciones, con especial énfasis en jóvenes estudios de la actualidad.
Las tres miradas que conforman la muestra están aunadas, pero con diferentes objetivos; estudian, dibujan, reconstruyen en maquetas, interpretan y exponen desde las coordenadas argentinas, un valioso panorama arquitectónico de Japón.
Participantes:
Curador general
Arq. Ricardo Kina,
Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo,
Universidad de Belgrano.
Expositores:
Museo de Maquetas Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo de la UBA, Arq. Jaime Grinberg (Director), Arq. Roberto Busnelli (Subdirector), Arq. Daniel Ruíz (Curador) y Arq. Carlos Wahnon (Coordinador).
Cátedra de Introducción a la Arquitectura Contemporánea, FADU – UBA, Arq. Carlos Gil Casazza (ProfesorTitular) y Arqs. Julio Valentino,
Néstor Segundo, Andrés Petrillo, Marcelo Fraile y
Roberto Bustamante.
Arq. Norberto Feal, Arq. Anabella Gatto, FADU – UBA.
Esquema de la muestra:
La exposición abarcará todo el museo –cuatro salas y el Espacio Escalera- durante todo el mes de septiembre.
Una introducción gráfica geográfico-arquitectónica
–mapa de Japón con las obras expuestas en su ubicación geográfica– cruzará el Museo verticalmente en el Espacio Escalera, conducirá e introducirá al visitante a cada una de las salas en los tres pisos del Museo.
En cada uno de estos tres pisos, tras la introducción general en la recepción –planta baja- y la ubicación geo-arquitectónica de la escalera, se distribuirán las tres miradas: el análisis a través de las maquetas (Sala primer piso, Museo de Maquetas), el estudio del hábitat (Sala segundo piso, IAC, Gil Casazza), y las obras de más reciente producción (Sala tercer piso, Feal – Gatto).
Primera mirada:
el estudio de la arquitectura a través de las maquetas
Las maquetas a exponer en las salas de planta baja y primer piso serán las siguientes:
1. Casa en Tokio, Tokio, Japón, 1958.
Kiyonori Kikutake.
2. Bath-House, Yonaga, Japón. Isao Shibaoka.
3. Casa en el bosque, Nagano, Japón, 1994.
Kasuyo Sejima.
4. Biblioteca infantil en Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japón,1953. Kenzo Tange.
5. Biblioteca Provincial de Oita, Oita, Japón, 1966.
Arata Isozaki.
6. Edo Museum, Tokio, Japón, 1993. Kiyonori Kikutake.
7. Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Japón, 1987.
Kisho Kurokawa.
8. Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Kanzawa, Japón, 2004. Kasuyo Sejima.
9. Tokio Social Welfare Hospital, Tokio, Japón.
Mamoru Yamada.
10. Edificio T, Nakameguro, Japón. Toyo Ito.
11. Catedral de Santa Maria, Tokio, Japón, 1964.
Kenzo Tange.
12. Conjunto Residencial Rokko Housing I , Kobe, Japón, 1983. Tadao Ando.
13. Templo de la Luz, Osaka, Japón, 1989. Tadao Ando.
14. Naves Olímpicas de Tokio, Tokio, Japón, 1964.
Kenzo Tange.
15. Palacio de los Deportes, Takamatsu, Japón.
Kenzo Tange.
16. Polideportivo Metropolitano, Tokio, Japón, 1990. Fumihiko Maki.
17. Saitama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Urawa, Japón, 1982. Kisho Kurokawa.
18. Memorial Hall, Akita, Japón 1990. Kisho Kurokawa
Como edificio histórico, se incluirá la maqueta del Palacio de Katsura, Kyoto, Japón.
Kobori Enshu (atribuido).
Segunda mirada: el estudio del hábitat
Se expondrán en la sala del segundo piso maquetas y documentación analítica de las siguientes casas japonesas:
1. Casa 9Tubo Alta, 2006. ABE, Hitoshi.
2. Casa Torcida, 2008. ALPHAVILLE / TAKEGUCHI,
Kentaro y YAMAMOTO, Asako.
3. Casa Refracción, 2000.
AMORPHE / TAKEYAMA, Kiyoshi.
4. Casa 4 x 4, 2001. ANDO, Tadao & Associates.
5. Casa G, 2004. AOKI, Jun.
6. Casa Gae, 2003. ATELIER BOW-WOW / TSUKAMOTO, Yoshiharu y KAIJIMA, Momoyo.
7. Casa B, 2005. ATELIER 5 / SHIMIZU, Sadahiro,
MATSUZAKI, Masatoshi y SHIMIZU, Yuko.
8. Casa en Negro, 2001. CHIBA, Manabu.
9. Casa N, 2006. FUJIMOTO, Sou.
10. Casa S.H., 2003. MIYAMOTO, Katsuhiro & Associates.
11. Casa en Futakoshinchi, 2004.
NAYA Architects / Manabu + Arata.
12. Casa P.O.M., 2001.
NISHIMORI, Rikuo y KUMAKI, Hideo & Associates.
13. Casa Y, 2003.
PUS – Power Unit Studio / IRIE, Kei’ichi.
14. Casa Pequeña, 1999.
SANAA / SEJIMA, Kazuyo y NISHIZAWA, Ryue.
15. Casa Deslizable, 2006.
TELE-DESIGN / NORIYUKI, Tajima.
16. Casa 2 X 2, 2004. WORKSHOP / KITAYAMA, Koh.
En el centro de la sala se instalará un dibujo en escala real de un espacio modular del hábitat japonés.
Tercera mirada: obras recientes
En este aspecto, la exposición presentará la obra de arquitectos jóvenes y estudios emergentes, con realizaciones de los últimos años localizadas en diferentes ciudades y regiones.
Si bien la selección de obras no fue realizada buscando acentuar o promover una determinada línea productiva, en todas se aprecian modalidades fuertemente experimentales e innovadoras.
Han comprometido ya su participación los siguientes estudios japoneses invitados, con material inédito en la Argentina:
AIR Architects Studio. Tetsu Tanaka, Chiba / AKA – Atsushi Kitagawara Architects, Tokyo / Akasaka Shinichiro Atelier, Sapporo Hokkaido / Akira Sakamoto Architect & Associates, Osaka / albert abut architecture, Tokyo / Architecture•lab. Shigekazu Takayasu, Tokyo / atelier.Rats, Oita / Atelier Tekuto Co., Ltd., Tokyo / Cell Space Architects, Tokyo / Daigo Ishii + Future-scape Architects, Tokyo / Environmental Planning Studio Co. Ltd., Tokyo / esprex.inc, Osaka / F.O.B ARCHITECTS + F.O.B ASSOCIATION, Kyoto / Frank la Rivière Architects inc., Takehiko Nez Architects and Sawasu Manabu by KEIKO + MANABU, Tokyo / Furumoto Architect Assosiates, Hiroshima / Hidemi Iwamoto Architect & Associates, Hiroshima / Hiroaki Iwasa Architects Workshop, Tokyo / Hirotaka Satoh Architecture & Design, Tokyo / Iida Archiship Studio, Kanagawa / ISSHO, Meguro-ku / Jun Igarashi Architects inc., Hokkaido / Junya Toda Architect & Associates, Osaka / Katsumi Nakamura Architect & Associates, Hiroshima / Kawahito Architects, Sapporo / KAWAI-ARCHITECTS, Kyoto / Kazuhiko Oishi Architecture Atelier, Fukuoka / Kazunori Fujimoto Architect & Associates, Hiroshima / Keiichi Hayashi Architect, Osaka / Kengo Kuma & Associates, Tokyo / Kiyotoshi Mori + Natsuko Kawamura. MDS architectural studio, Tokyo / Koh Kitayama + architecture WORKSHOP, Tokyo / KOHKI HIRANUMA. Hs WorkShop-ASIA, Osaka / Kubota Architect Atelier, Hiroshima / Love the Life. Akemi Katsuno & Takashi Yagi, Tokyo / M.A.L. Machida Architecture & Landscape Design, Tochigi / M2-Nakatsuji Architect Atelier, Tokyo / Masao Yahagi Architects, Fukuoka / Miurashin Architect + Associates, Tokyo / Miyahara Architect Office, Tokyo / MS4D Co.,Ltd., Tokyo / Muramatsu Architects, Tokyo / naf architect & design. Akio Nakasa, Tokyo / Office of Kenji Tagashira, Osaka / Osaka Atelier. Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates, Osaka / Prop Position Architectural Design, Tokyo / P_kan: Hiroshi Shoji Building Workshop, Hyogo / Sakaushi Taku Architects’ Office. O.F.D.A. associates, Tokyo / Shoei Yoh + Architects, Fukuoka / Shogo Aratani Architect & Associates, Osaka / Studio Noa / Nobuhito Mori, Tokyo / Suga Tadashi Architects Office, Hyogo / Suppose Design Office, Hiroshima / Tadashi Saito + atelier NAVE, Kagawa / Tetsushi Tominaga Architect & Associates, Tokyo / Taku Sakaushi & Chika Kijima O.F.D.A, Tokyo / Toshiaki Tanaka & Associates, Fukuoka / UID Architect & Associates, Hiroshima / Yo Yamagata Architects, Kanagawa / Yokoyama Design Studio, Kanagawa / UID Architect & Associates, Hiroshima
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The site works on the temporary soil reatining wall are advancing.
This is the area of the basement level. A rather small area compared to the total foot print of the building.
The Nebuta Festival starts in less than a month. A quick peek into the tents of Warasse-land shows the nearly finished Nebuta floats. Raised on their platform they are quite impressive.
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On a rain drenged day inspection of the first steelwork at the factory.
ZA-KOENJI PUBLIC THEATER
The next visit was to Za-Koenji Public Theater designed by Toyo Ito and completed only as recent as May this year. The building is insteel painted brown and has an interior with one extra color a stone red. The interior is in general darkish. The exterior walls a perforated with a random pattern of holes through which spares daylight penetrates and in the balusrades of the main staircase the holes become luminars.
The entrance hall is one of the main features of the building and one of the most succesful spaces. In the back the main staircase that leads up to the restaurant. To the right the entrance to the main theater hall Za-Koenji-1. The ligting spreads a random pattern of light spots on the floor strengthening the idea of the holes in the exterior walls. The stone red plaster is the inside of the brown exterior wall and reads throughout the building as the exterior shell.
In total there are two theater halls a rehearsal hall and three practise hall as well as a workshop.
This image shows the resaturant. Here the extrior shell bends into the concave roof shape all finished inthe same stone red plaster. To the right the outside wall of the Za-Koenji-1 hall painted black. The floor is in black carpet. Onto the walls are shelfs installed that were filled with cartoon books, children books etc. The restaurant is equiped with a rather small counter area and therefore the menu is limited.
The Za-Koeji-1 hall is a simple box type of hall with a catwalk for the stage lighting running around tha walls.
The rehearsal space that doubles as conference room.
KICHIJOJI THEATER
Today we visited together with the project team of Aomori city two theater hall that are similar in size as the one in Nebuta no ie. The first on the itinary was the Kichijoji Public Theater a low-key informal rental theater owned by the City of Musashi. This simple rectangular theater has front facade that can hardly called a facade. It is more of an inbetween zone between the thaeter and the public space. The balconies are wide enough to allow for a use as terraces as was the idea of the architect. Unfortunately from a management point of view this type of use is presently discouraged. It does fit the idea its low-key appearance as does the fact that it is pulled up in rough materials that express its informal character quite well.
The theater hall is a simple black box, that is as adaptable as possible. The simple materials allow for adaptability in use and easy maintenance. While there is quite an extensive stage ligting system, there is no special control room. This is just a table in the middle of the hall. For accoustic isolation reason a service corridor completely encircles the hall and fuctions as an exptra buffer. The size of the building is kept under the limit above which a sprinkler system is required, in order to keep cost down. The demerrit is that there is also limited staff space and virtually no dressingroom.
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On Wednesday the 24th we had some time off and used this to our benefit to visit the Tachi Neputa No Yakata (立佞武多館http://www.tachineputa.jp/index.php)
in Goshogawara at about 1.5 hr bus drive from Aomori City. This festival is held at the same time as the Nebuta fesitival in Aomori. (Note the subtle diffrence in spelling. After all Neputa is not Nebuta!) The difference with the Nebutas is particularly in the size. The Neputa are roughly 20 meters high! they are build and stored to be reused in contrast to the Nebuta that are rebuild every year. This image shows the exterio of the building that houses three of the colosus as well as an open workshop where the construction of a Neputa cna be viewed as well as othe exhibition space, a souvenir shop and restaurant. The walk from the station to the building is along delapidated buildings and shows the cities limited wealth. A bit of a surprise awaits upon arrival at this tall building. (Also constructed by Kajima crop.) The large glazed facade on the right can slide away to fully open up to let the Neputas through!
A view of the entrance hall with across of the souvenir shop an other large sliding door the eventually leads to the exhibition hall with the Neputas.
In the back of this image a full view of a Neputa. The sculputral part sits on top of a base that is about the same hight as the top part. As the normal viewing is from the street or a low vantage point the figures look downwards. The exhibition hall is designed a bit like the Gugenheim museum in a spiral ramp that doubles as exhibition area. the routing through the museum is therefore from the top to the bottom of the hall. A lift ride brings one to the top where there is aviewing platform to watch a large screen video. Upon once descend the chnaging views of the Neputa is a very effective way of showing them. The hall is dark, but not completely black.
This exhibit od scale models shows the difference in size between to the left the Neputa (Goshogawara), in the middle the Nebuta (Aomori City) and the fan shaped Neputa (Hirosaki).
Eye in Eye with (just) a part of a Neputa.
Small fish figures for kids.
On the top floor of the building in the workshop the Neputa artists work from these type of drawings.
The framework and the cableing on the inside of the Neputa.
A close up shows the black brush strokes, the contour lines and the paper sheets glued with wax onto the wire frame.
Between the black contour lines the areas will be decorated with liters and liters of paint.
The Neputas are constructed in parts that are assambles around a center core. The modern Neputa have a a center core of a steel latice work fixed on to a motorized plate form equiped with a steering place for the driver. The parts of the Neputa have a wood and wire frame.