TADAO ANDO; THE MUSEUM OF WOOD

ESPAÑOL

In order to celebrate the day of the forests, a commemoration established by the emperor after the destruction of large forest areas during the Second World War, the renowned architect Tadao Ando was commissioned to design a museum complex in the midst of the forest of Mikata-gun, in Hyogo Prefecture. As part of Japan's environmental strategy, the project seeks to promote understanding, awareness and respect for nature.
The building is internationally known as the Museum of Wood (1994). However, the Japanese term Ki no Dendoo (木の殿堂) can be translated more like "Sanctuary Wood" (and boy, it is indeed a sanctuary because to get there it took me a whole pilgrimage).

Beyond its environmental connotations, the museum pays homage to the culture of wood in its various manifestations in the world. It is a space for reflection, more than just a space for the exhibition of objects.




The concept of the volume stands out for its simplicity: set on top of a hill, a truncated cone of 46 m in diameter housing a void cylinder  inside, emerges from the woods like a volcano in the middle of a green sea.


The conical shape is dramatically bisected by a long pedestrian bridge that goes into the forest, ending in a small cubic viewpoint that has been rotated 45 degrees.

The Pritzker Prize laureate has been widely recognized for his work in concrete, but in the Sanctuary Wood Ando demostrates that he is equally skilled in working with wood., in the same way as he previously did in the Japanese Pavilion at the World Expo in Seville.

Japan Pavilion at the Expo in Seville, designed by Tadao Ando, ​​was the closest reference to the museum of wood.
Photos courtesy of Philip Jodidio

The interior is a large exhibition space that unfolds along a spiral ramp, full of long columns of wood, about 18 meters high. The shape of the roof truss inevitably evokes Japanese temples and shrines in Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo

Kasuga Temple in Nara.

However, beyond a mere formal symbolism, Ando uses the complicated roof structure to provide the interior of an interesting game of light and shadow. The light helps to foster that sense of solemnity and respect that a sanctuary inspires.

 "The light sparkles coincide with the proximity of their extinction: the object appears and takes shape in the edge between the luminosity  and the dark", he says.

The game of light and the woodworking are a reference to Japanese traditional architecture.
Photo C. Zeballos

The exhibition contains a number of items related to the craft of wood: stunning  models of historical houses, photographs, a collection of woodworking tools in the world, ancient works in wood, a fully equipped media room and even crafts made by children and adults in the museum workshops.



Also, for the delight of architectural pilgrims, there is an exhibition showing sketches made by the architect during the design of the museum.

Sketch of the museum by Tadao Ando

It is obvious that the purpose of the building is not hosting internationally renowned work, like most museums, but has rather an educational nature and form of community outreach. Artistically, however, the continent is more attractive than the content.


The central crater of 20 m in diameter, animated by the cheerful sound of water flowing from numerous fountains, splashing on a stone base, was conceived as the point where the "sky and water metaphorically meet".


To make evident this union, a concrete bridge crosses the cone, allowing the visitors to feel amid a solemn emptiness, inside and at the same time outside the space, with the sky in their head, the wooden tongue and groove around them, the fountains at their feet and the forests on the horizon.

Attention to detail and simplicity, tradition and modernity, openness and intimacy, nature and artificiality, light and shadow are binomials resolved with sobriety, humility and expertise in this iconic building.

SEE ALSO:
- OTHER WORKS BY TADAO ANDO.

• Chapel in Mt. Rokko, Kobe, Japan. (1985-86)
• Church of the Light, Osaka, Japan. (1988-89)
• Church on Water, Tomomu, Japan. (1988)
• Garden of Fine Arts, Kyoto, Japan. (1990)
• hhstyle.com/Casa/Limited, Tokyo, Japan. (2005)
• National Library of Children's Literature. Tokyo, Japan (2002)
• Omotesando Hills, Tokyo, Japan. (1996-2006)
• Time's I & II, Kyoto, Japan. (1983-91)

TADAO ANDO: HYOGO MUSEUM OF ART

Photo courtesy of mozgram

ESPAÑOL

Expanding itself from the coast to the mountainside, Kobe, with its million and a half inhabitants, is one of the most modern cities and attractive ports of Japan. Located in the Osaka Bay, its industrial activity is based on industries such as shipyards, rubber material, chemicals, sugar and sake. The region is rich in growing fruits, vegetables, rice and tea.

However, the first image we have from Kobe is the earthquake that on January 17, 1995 devastated the city, particularly the Hyogo Awaji area. The quake, with an intensity of 7.3 degrees on the Richter scale had much tragic consequences. More than 6000 people lost their lives, modern infrastructure and buildings collapsed and entire neighborhoods were destroyed either by the earthquake or the fires that followed.

Although the city has literally risen from the ashes like a phoenix and is now more alive than ever, many of the reconstruction works were carried without considering the memory of the city, losing forever some of the little urban and architectural heritage which survived the bombings of World War II.

Unlike these works, Tadao Ando proposed to recover one of the most important aspects in the collective memory: the city's relationship with the sea. It was a happy coincidence that both the Hyogo Museum of Art (winner of an international competition) as well as the Kobe Waterfront Plaza (commissioned by the City of Kobe) were deigned by Ando, ​​who treated them as an integral proposal.

Outline Hyogo Art Museum and Plaza Oceanfront Kobe.
Sketch courtesy of Tadao Ando

This proposed urban development consisted of a complex of housing for the victims, a museum of modern art and an extensive park, located in an old port area in Hyogo, destroyed by the earthquake.

Museum and waterfront park
See location on Google Maps

KOBE WATERFRONT PLAZA

Ando, ​​like many others in Kobe,has not forgotten the experience of the earthquake. The "Kobe Waterfront Plaza", besides being a large recreation area with trees, sport and walking areas as well as an outdoor auditorium neighboring the sea, it can also be used as a reserve area for refugees and a fire barrier.

"The external exhibition space is designed to be larger and richer in variety compared to conventional museums" says Ando. "The Waterfront Plaza is the core of the local community ... With the round plaza in its center, the stairs that gently shift levels and self-supporting the wall that tactfully manipulates the view to the sea, produce a diversified spatial sequence... The plaza connects the public space at the museum's base platform  in both visual and spatial series to create a water park with a spread of 500 meters along the border. "

View of the circular plaza outside the museum
Photo Carlos Zeballos

HYOGO PREFECTURAL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART 

Unlike his other projects, this time the architect opted for a more severe and sober language that transmits an image of security, strength and durability, contrasting the devastating images of the disaster. The approach to the building from the city is achieved from an elegant footbridge. As the buildings show a more opaque face towards the city, Ando provides a pedestrian scale by means of a groove and a rough stone arch, contrasting with the polished dark volume that forms the rest of building.

Approaching the building from the pedestrian bridge
Photo Carlos Zeballos

Also, contrasting with the building massiveness, the other end of the boxes are visually opened to the seascape, by means of generous windows. In turn, the roof extends with wide eaves (a similar gesture to the museum designed by the same architect in Fort Woth, Texas, USA), creating a cozy terrace with gardens, and stairs, spreading into the bay.

The museum rests on a white polished granite platform upon which the three glass boxes are arranged in parallel, each of which encloses a concrete block. The space between the two boxes of glass and concrete is occupied by a surrounding gallery that in turn allows the enjoyment of landscape views.

One of the volumes, the wing of the gallery, is more separated than the others, leading to a passage running through the museum and providing a visual and physical connection between the Kobe mountains and the sea.

Distribution of the museum.
Image courtesy of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

This street is crossed by bridges and suspended plazas, allowing an easy communication between the different components of the museum building.

Photo courtesy of mozgram

In the middle of this street, is a light well, which houses a set of spiral staircases.


This device, besides providing natural light to the different levels and parking area -along with numerous other exquisite details that are typical in the work of this Japanese architect- adds a touch of grace to the severity manifested in the formal vocabulary of the rest of the building.

Detail of the external benches outside.

The interior of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art is remarkably minimalist. As he did in the Church of Light in Osaka, the austerity in the use of colors and materials (concrete, stone, steel and glass) stresses the majesty of space and light, which Ando manipulates to provide users with numerous sensations of scale and tone, and at the same time is a perfect setting to host modern art, often colorful and uniquely  and stridently shaped.

Inside the museum
Photo C. Zeballos

GUSTAV KLIMT

This time, the museum presents an exhibition of the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt . Founder of the Vienna Secession, Klimt (1862-1918) is the most important painter of the Art Nouveau movement. His works are full of color and eroticism, by introducing many organic forms taken from nature, meticulously decorated in golden tones.

Judith Playing in the poster exhibition

The exhibition featured many of his sketches of undoubted skill, as well as some of their belongings, including his nightstand, his particular and colorful costumes and interesting photographs.
His work includes an enormous painting murals installation including Greek themes and symbolic nudes. Among his most famous works is the remarkable portrait of his beloved Emilie Flöge called Judith, and the Nuda Veritas (Naked Truth).

Looking closely at the painting, impressionist influence can be seen, since the painting is made up of fine strokes violet, yellow, pink, blue, achieving a smooth and harmonious effect .

Nuda Veritas
Gustav Klimt

At this time, a murmur interrupts the quiet atmosphere of the museum ...

It is the master Ando himself, who has come to the museum and gives a short speech to the stunned audience!

Tadao Ando is a highly respected celebrity in Japan, a society that loves protocol and reverence. He is very spontaneous with Japanese students, though somewhat sullen with foreigners. Still, he gladly accepted a postcard from Machu Picchu that I had carried with me in my bag that day, just by chance.

SEE ALSO

• Tsunami in Japan: in the midst of disaster

-  OTHER WORKS BY TADAO ANDO

• Chapel in Mt. Rokko, Kobe, Japan. (1985-86)
• Church of the Light, Osaka, Japan. (1988-89)
• Church on Water, Tomomu, Japan. (1988)
• Garden of Fine Arts, Kyoto, Japan. (1990)
• hhstyle.com/Casa/Limited, Tokyo, Japan. (2005)
• National Library of Children's Literature. Tokyo, Japan (2002)
• Omotesando Hills, Tokyo, Japan. (1996-2006)
• Suntory Museum, Osaka, Japan.
• Time's I & II, Kyoto, Japan. (1983-91)

TADAO ANDO: SUNTORY MUSEUM

ESPAÑOL

By the time I am updating this post, the Suntory Museum in Osaka is not longer open to the public. The scarce attendance and the high cost of maintenance lead to the Japanese beverage company to close this building and focus on its more popular Suntory Museum of Art, designed by Kengo Kuma in downtown Tokyo. Therefore, this post becomes a sort of posthumous homage to one of the most remarkable museums designed by Tadao Ando, where he managed to express his ideas about the relation of urban architecture and the seascape.

Tempozan is one of the most important waterfront interventions in Osaka. This complex consists of various facilities, particularly the  Osaka Aquarium by Chermayeff and the Suntory Museum by Tadao Ando, ​​which, each with a specific way, contribute to define the functional and spatial role of this area as a new cultural and recreational hub, despite being far from the city itself.

See location on Google Maps

Complex at Tempozan
Images courtesy of Suntory Museum

However, despite being very close from each other, Ando's proposal has taken a very different approach to that of his American counterpart. The massive and capricious mutation of the aquarium contrasts with the geometric composition based on pure forms of the museum and the lightness of the overlapped volumes. The strident polychromy proposed by Chermayeff in the Kaiyukan, diverges from the typical monochromy and the game of light and shadows favored by Ando in the Suntory. To the introverted character of the aquarium, the museum responds by opening itself to the sea through visual design and an waterfront plaza called Mermaid Square.

The Suntory Museum and  the Aquarium Kaiyuukan
Photo by Carlos Zeballos

Aside these characteristics, this project means a lot more to Ando. It is triumph of is stubborn interest to create a public space in front of the bay, basically devoured by real estate speculation. The cultural complex commissioned by the liquor company Suntory allowed Ando try once again his favorite subject: the relationship between man, nature and architecture.

Plan layout and 3D perspective of the museum
Image courtesy of Suntory Museum

The composition of the building consists of an inverted truncated cone intersected by two prismatic volumes, the gallery and the restaurant. The impressive cone whose 48 m in diameter  major base is glazed towards the ocean and shows inside the nested  sphere of ​​the theater, as if it were a giant pearl.

Night view of the museum, showing the theater or "pearl"

The Suntory Museum was built in 1994 with a variety of materials: the great truncated cone is composed of a spatial structure covered in steel and glass, while the rest of the building is constructed of pre-stressed reinforced concrete.

The materials and technology used in this project have been carefully studied to preserve the building from wind exposure and the salinity of the environment.

View the spherical IMAX theater and restaurant 
Photo Carlos Zeballos

The museum houses art gallery, it features a 3D IMAX cinema, a number of shops and a restaurant. The first level, which is accessed via an escalator, contains a reception, shops and the entrance to the IMAX theater. The walkway that surrounds the area, as well as the lobbies that overlook the space allow to clearly  perceive the curvature of its volume.

From here and in complicity with the six-stories height cone, you can enjoy the architectural spectacle designed by Ando, ​​discover how the sun, in an ever-changing game, casts beams of light and shadow on the surface of the ball, made up of triangular concrete panels.


From the theater is possible to access to a panoramic terrace, which is in turn the roof of the restaurant.

The restaurant is divided into small semi intimate areas, at various levels, but without losing its spatial integration. It also includes extensive views into the bay. The interiors are varied but sober, using wood and warm colors.

The other is the gallery prismatic volume. In order to lighten its formal perception Ando imposes a generous, cantilever, supported by strong columns and beams in Y. The small transparent staircase and the glaze first level of this volume underscore that idea, while the cantilever reinforces its ​​relation to the sea.

Also, through the generous screen in the hall of the gallery you can enjoy panoramic views of the ocean.

In that sense, it seems that in the design of the lobby Ando disregarded a study of insolation, as the sunlight mercilessly hits this space in the afternoon, and therefore people do not usually stay long in this area, supposedly design for ​​contemplation (in summer this space is unbearable). Personally I prefer the solution  given to this problem by Arata Isozaki in its Kyoto Concert Hall, using shojis or panels to protect the room from the sunlight.

The museum rests on a meticulously designed platform: the Mermaid Plaza. This area, called Naniwa-zu in ancient times, evokes the introduction of Chinese culture to the Japanese coast. However, Ando had to fight hard with the authorities who try to impose him the construction of high protective dikes. Instead, the building has a setback, arranging a series of platforms, ramps and staircases towards the sea, creating a space for meeting and contemplation of the sunset. Also includes moving sculptures as a tribute to the wind, incorporating movement to the austere simplicity of the square.

The square, 40 x 100 m, contains an amphitheater and five monumental pillars arranged in a row, which are duplicated on top of a dike built 70 meters into the sea, reinforcing the perception of continuity between the square and the ocean.

View Mermaid Square at dusk

The relationship between nature and architecture to Tadao Ando is not limited to the context, but to the very embodiment of the landscape, in this case water, in the design of the building itself. It seems that the Japanese architect also intensely enjoys the pleasure of contemplates the sunset at the sea.

Frida Kahlo

At the time of the visit, the gallery was displaying an exhibition on  Frida Kahlo , the famous Mexican surrealist painter.


With a colorful palette, Kahlo's works convey her identity with their country and include themes of folklore and folk art in Mexico. Her thick eyebrows and her intense look are  often evident in several paintings where she portraited her love for nature as well as her suffering for her bad health she endured  for most of his life. The exhibition also included photographs of her life and even her death. Some years later, I had the chance of visiting her house studio in Mexico, that which also belonged to her lifetime love, the master Diego Rivera.
In this page you can see some photos and comments about her work.

To see a video of a walking tour inside the museum, click here. 

SEE ALSO
- OTHER WORKS BY TADAO ANDO

• Chapel in Mt. Rokko, Kobe, Japan. (1985-86)
• Church of the Light, Osaka, Japan. (1988-89)
• Church on Water, Tomomu, Japan. (1988)
• Garden of Fine Arts, Kyoto, Japan. (1990)
• hhstyle.com/Casa/Limited, Tokyo, Japan. (2005)
• National Library of Children's Literature. Tokyo, Japan (2002)
• Omotesando Hills, Tokyo, Japan. (1996-2006)
• Time's I & II, Kyoto, Japan. (1983-91)

- WATERFRONT ARCHITECTURE

• Osaka Aquarium in Tempozan, Japan
• Sydney Opera House, Australia. Jørn Utzon