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)

ODE TO THE SEA

MEOTO IWA, MIE, JAPÓN. These rocks united by a rope, from where the Mt. Fuji can be seen in between, are considered sacred, and symbolized the love in a couple. Moreover, this is the place where the emperor Tenmu unified the country and renamed from Yamato to Nihon. The rocks also symbolize the union between East and West Japan

ODA AL MAR
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

This is the 50th article published in the English version of My Architectural Moleskine. Therefore,  I decided to dedicate this post to a non-architectural theme and share with you some photos on a subject that fascinates me... the sea.

This virtual photo-exhibition is entitled Ode to the Sea, as a tribute to the famous Chilean poet and Nobel laureate  Pablo Neruda. No one like him to accompany these visited seascapes with the harmonious sound of his celebrated poem.

LA PUNTA, CALLAO, PERU. According to Guillermo Dañino a "callao" is a pebble and , by extension, a land area covered with pebbles and round stones. As this is the main feature of its beaches, this place was called Callao, which ultimately became the first Peruvian port.
AMANOHASHIDATE, JAPAN. Is a narrow isthmus that has the sea at one side and a lake at the other . Japanese say it is one of the three most beautiful views in the country, along with Sendai and the island of Miyajima

VANCOUVER, CANADA. The ferry connecting the two sides of Vancouver Harbour offers amazing view of the city's waterfront, particularly during sunset.

HARBOUR TOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA, USA. Dolphins and impressive sunsets are often seen in this beach near Savannah, Georgia.


Here,
Surrounding the island
There’s sea.
But what sea?
It’s always overflowing.
Says yes,
Then no,
Then no again,
And no,
Says yes
In blue
In sea spray
Raging,
Says no
And no again.
It can’t be still.
It stammers
My name is sea.

HALONG BAY, VIETNAM. This amazing UNESCO World heritage site is formed by more than 3000 monolithic islands. An intricate and spectacular system of caves can be also found here.

MATINHOS, BRAZIL. This is a small beach located east of Curitiba, uncrowded and many bikinis. However, this Atlantic beach called deeply my attention for two reasons: 1) ot was the first time I saw a beach with vegetation to the sea, I was used to the deserted Peruvian and Chilean beaches of the Pacific, and 2) where the heck is the sun in this sunset? Well, it was at my back, not in the sea!

MONTE HERMOSO, ARGENTINA. One of the few cities in this Atlantic country where the sun sets into the sea. I appreciate the courtesy of Andrés Sandoval.

a pareja. .

Sea of Japan, on board of a ferry  towards Hokkaido

It slaps the rocks
And when they aren’t convinced,
Strokes them
And soaks them
And smothers them with kisses.
With seven green tongues
Of seven green dogs
Or seven green tigers
Or seven green seas,
Beating its chest,
Stammering its name,

PHI PHI ISLAND, PHUKET, THAILAND. This amazing tropical landscape, surrounded by turquoise and emerald waters, was the setting of the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo Di Caprio.

PAGUDPUD, ILOCOS NORTE, PHILIPPINES. This beach seems like a dream postcard ... That white sand, blue sea ... the soft murmur of palm trees, warm water and colorful fish swimming around your legs.


OKINAWA, JAPAN. The tropical islands of Okinawa, once the independent kingdom of Ryukyu, are the gateway of Chinese culture to the Japanese archipelago. Boats with transparent bottoms took us to see the plentiful fauna living in the corals.

Oh Sea,
This is your name.
Oh comrade ocean,
Don’t waste time
Or water
Getting so upset
Help us instead.
We are meager fishermen,
Men from the shore
Who are hungry and cold
And you’re our foe.
Don’t beat so hard,
Don’t shout so loud,
Open your green coffers,
Place gifts of silver in our hands.
Give us this day
our daily fish.

BORACAY, PHILIPPINES. Beautiful shallow, tropical waters , full of coral and colorful fish.

TEMPOZAN, OSAKA, JAPAN. A group of sharks in the aquarium Tempozan. This smiling shark has a lamprey attached on the back.
BALI, En

Here in each house,
we all crave it
whether it’s of silver,
crystal or moonlight,
spawn for the poor
kitchens on earth.
Don’t hoard it,
you miser,
coldly rushing like
wet lightning
beneath your waves.
Come, now,
open yourself
and leave it
near our hands,
help us, ocean,
deep green father,
end one day
our earthly poverty.


HUANCHACO, TRUJILLO, PERU. My father took me here when I was a child when he was thinking of publishing a book on Peru. After many years I came back here and I found out that  men  are still fishing in reed horses, as their ancestors had done for centuries.
CHINCHORRO, ARICA, CHILE. Beautiful resort located in northern Chile. This time a group of aricans was trying to make a raft of reeds in an attempt to reach Polynesia. The Chilean version of the Kon Tiki . I have no idea if they reached their destination.

TALLINN, ESTONIA. A cold autumn morning awakes this beautiful Baltic medieval city. These fishermen seem to be used to the freezing temperatures.

Let us
harvest your lives’
endless plantation,
your wheat and eggs,
your oxes, your metals,
the wet splendor
and submerged fruits.

PUERTO MONTT, CHILE. This is the southernmost city I had visited, that is the closest to the South Pole, although its latitude 41 is equivalent to that of New York and is lower than Hokkaido. That was an unforgettable trip with my father, while an old song by Los Iracundos echoed in my brain. I remember the delicious salmon, cheaper than chicken. Sunrise in Puerto Montt, courtesy of Irish guy.

MONT SAINT MICHEL, NORMANDY, FRANCE. Maybe it's because we arrived here in a cloudy winter day or because its image evokes loneliness and isolation, Mount Saint Michel gives me deep melancholy. This is one of the most intense landscapes I have ever experienced, dominated by the superb monastery that crimps among its rocks. Photo courtesy of dougsy.

HERAKLION, CRETE, GREECE. This is a Venetian fortress guards the entrance to the city in the Aegean Sea.
MIYAJIMA, HIROSHIMA, JAPAN. The Itsukushima shrine, another UNESCO site, presents a torii or Japanese gate in the middle of the sea. As in the case of  Mont Saint  Michel, the tides can surround the structure by water or withdraw, allowing people to walk around. This phenomenon happens several times a day.

Father sea, we know already
what you are called, all
the seagulls circulate
your name on the beaches:
now, behave yourself,
don’t shake you mane,
don’t threaten anyone,
don’t smash against the sky
your beautiful teeth,
ignore for a moment
your glorious history,
give to every man,
to every
woman and to every child,
a fish large or small
every day.

BUSAN, KOREA. One of the secrets of Korean progress is order and organization ... even the seagulls do it.

UTORO, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN. Lonely seagull in the far north of Japan.

LIEPAJA, LATVIA. This rough Baltic sea is typical from the Latvian windy climate. In this beach many women saw their fishermen husbands leave to never come back.

Go out to every street
in the world
and distribute fish
and then
scream,
scream
so all the working poor
could hear you,
so they could say,
sticking their heads
into the mine:
“Here comes the old man seato distribute fish.”

 
OLD JAFFA, ISRAEL. Mediterranean Sea seen from this old town near modern Tel-Aviv. The echoes of the Muslim chants calling for sunset prayer reverberated in this ancient harbor walls.


THIRA, SANTORINI, GREECE. Amazing picturesque landscape of blue vaulted Orthodox churches overlooking the old volcanic caldera.
 
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. The gracious curves of the Burj Al Arab, a super luxury hotel, symbol of Dubai and perhaps of the United Arab Emirates seen from the Jumeirah beach.


And they’ll go back down
into the darkness,
smiling, and on the streets
and in the forests,
men and the earth
will smile
an oceanic smile.

RAMBLA DE MAR, BARCELONA, SPAIN. This is an interesting seaside complex, the undulating forms are a clear refererencia the ocean waves. Behind us is the statue of Columbus.

PORT OF KOBE, JAPAN. Luminous nightscape of the port of Kobe, on a birthday night.

MIAMI, USA. Miami beachfront seen from the plane.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE. The city-state-island of Singapore is closely linked with its waterfront, where Esplanade, the National Theatre is located and from the modern skyline can be enjoyed.

HELSINKI, FINLAND. Reflections of the Finnish capital over the Baltic Sea.

But
if you don’t want it,
if you don’t care for it,
then wait,
wait for us,
we must worry, first
we must try to solve
and straighten out
human affairs,
the biggest problems first,
then all the others,
and then
we’ll enter you,
we’ll chop the waves
with a knife made of fire,
on an electric horse
leaping over foam,
singing
we’ll sink
until we touch the bottom
of your guts,
an atomic thread
will guard your shank,
we’ll plant
in your deep garden
trees
of cement and steel,
we’ll tie
your hands and feet,
on your skin man will walk,
spitting,
yanking in bunches,
building armatures,
mounting and taming you
to dominate your spirit.

LIBERTY ISLAND, NEW YORK, USA needs no further presentation. The Lady of Liberty was created by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi on a structure by Gustave Eiffel and it was was a gift from the French government to the United States to celebrate the centenary of their independence of the latter. Called "The Liberty Enlightening the World", how different things would have been if she would be heard more often..
VALDIVOSTOK, RUSSIA. A siren seems to shiver in the icy waters of the Russian port, entering the spring. When winter is at its coldest month, people can walk on the ice and makes holes in it to fish.

PUNTA DEL ESTE, URUGUAY. Our visit by the famous Uruguayan resort was shorter than planned due to a fierce storm which made ​​the waves roaring in mad rage. This beautiful photo by Remco Douma reminds me that time.

All this will occur
when us men
have straighten out
our problem,
the big,
the big problem.
We’ll slowly
solve everything:
we’ll force you, sea,
we’ll force you, earth
perform miracles,
because in our very selves,
in the struggle,
is fish, is bread,
is the miracle.

Pablo Neruda

PATONG BEACH, PHUKET, THAILAND. This photo was taken on November 2004, also during my birthday. Originally we had planned to visit Phuket for Christmas and escape from the cold and Japanese, but we decided to bring forward the visit at the last minute. Incredibly, at Christmas of that year, Phuket was devastated by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. I hope our kind friends who worked at the Thai beach had survived.

MINAMI SANRIKU, MIYAGI, JAPAN. A fishing village, completely devastated by the tsunami that hit Japan on March 11th, 2011. The waves, that reached a height of 20 m, wipe out almost every building in the city, and killing about 10,000 people, 60% of its inhabitants.

Thanks to all visitors and followers who are accompanying me by reading these "Notes on architecture and more." Hopefully, we will have another special issue on our 100th post... See you then!

AMANOHASHIDATE, JAPAN. Its name means "Bridge to Heaven" and, as mentioned, a narrow tongue of land between the sea and a lake. Tradition says that seeing the isthmus between the legs from the top of a hill, one can see the effect of a bridge going up to heaven.

OBAMA BEACH, HUKUI, JAPAN. Doing my first steps as a paparazzi. By the way, Obama actually means "small beach"