Arata Isozaki. Ochanomizu Square, Kandasurugadai, Tokyo. 1987.
Arata Isozaki is one of the most famous Japanese architects.
This building, Ochanomizu Square is a kind of multi-events place.
A wedding ceremony, a conference, various types of events seem to take place
in the halls. This architecture style might be called post modern or deconstruction.
The word, deconstruction was often used during the Cold War. Simply talking,
deconstruction means breaking through two opposite notions. So, the idea
had actuality most during the Cold War.
Deconstruction is different from destruction. And, there are various ways
of deconstruction and we can still use the word in various situations. Jacques
Derrida might start to use the word first.
Anyway, I want to talk my impression about this architecture a little. First
of all, I think that the combination of the lower part and the upper part
is interesting. The lower part of this buiding is obiviously older than
the upper part. And, the style is obviously the Western traditional architecture.
After the Meiji Restoration, 1868, a lot of the Western style buildings
were built in Japan. So, it might confuse people from other countries. Most
people might think architecture like the next photograph of this page is
Japanese traditional architecture.
According to the upper part of this building, at a glance, its style is
modern. But, if I look carefully, the upper part has many tastes of traditional
Japanese architecture rather than the lower part. It is because traditional
Japanese architecuture have many structure of straight and vertical.
I have been into the inside of this building. Its space is very comfortable.
There is an entrance hall built in wellhole style. Isozaki was talking before
like, " When I visit in classical architecture, I mainly taste its
space."
Isozaki also designed an interior of a night club in Manhattan, " Palladium."
And," Guggenheim Soho," some parts of " the Brooklyn Museum."
Actually, he was teaching at Pratt Institute a long time ago. Isozaki was
born in 1931, and has a long career in architecture field.
His theory of architecture is sometimes too compricated like architecture
lang, like regional foreign language. So, frankly, I feel that it is a little
doutful about the connection between his theory and his building. But, without
any doubt, he is already one of important architects in the world.
However, recently, I heard that this building, Ochanomizu Square was sold
and will be destructed. This building was built in 1987. It is not so old.
I do not know the information is true or not exactly. But, even though we
invest a lot of money, a world famous architect design and a number of construction
workers build with spending long times and efforts. And, even though the
building is not attacked by terrorists, if the building's owner change,
there is a possibility that the building will be destructed.