Future Talks 05 : Takashi Fujino

Interview No. 05
Ikimono architects - Takashi Fujino (TF)
20.2. & 18.3.2024 // Online from Takasaki/Japan

ZZ: Thank you very much for your time meeting us online. To start, could you briefly introduce your studio and describe the main principles and values of your work?

TF: My studio name is Ikimono architects. Base of our philosophy is that architecture is an intermediary between human beings and the environment. Therefore, when the location or people change, our work style changes dramatically as well. The style or structure may seem inconsistent at first glance, but this is because we design architecture that responds to a variety of people and environments.
The building of my office "Atelier Tenjinyama" (2011) is in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. If we look at the beginnings of architecture in general, its purpose was to protect from rain and wind, this building is similarly primitive, consisting of only four protective walls, few windows to connect with the city and a glass roof. These dramatic design elements are here to connect the inside and outside. The roof is transparent glass, allowing us to see the sky, and it is high so we can plant big trees. This architecture not only protects us physically and psychologically from the rain, but also connects us differently, allowing us to enjoy even the rainy days with more senses. In fact, spending time here, you can feel comfortable and find new perspectives. We can also sensitively feel the passage of time, seasonal changes, and climate. Watching the interior change its colour during the sunset; shadows of the indoor trees, cast by passing cars, dancing on the walls; summer night rainstorm; starry sky or winter moon and if it is snowing, we can even have a white ceiling shortly. I want to create architecture enabling us to feel that wide range from small events to big changes. This site faces a large street, the south side is my office and the north side is my private space, where I used to live the first two years after the construction. My bedroom is in the underground room, where I could secure more stable and comfortable temperature conditions without the need to heat or cool the space by air-conditioning. As you can see from the cross-section, in the rest of the space there is no concrete base plate, just a narrow foundation under the walls. The floor is made of soil for the roots of trees, which we planted here, to spread freely. The east and west walls are slightly oblique inward and we used a special very liquid concrete to cast all the walls at once. The interior floor is elevated from the surrounding ground only by 70 mm. The ceiling height is 8 metres, so there is no obstacle to growing big trees indoor. Through the years the greenery has spread massively in the interior and now it provides a pleasant shading in the summer, but in the first years we had to use parasols inside.
Together with the botanical designer Mr. Ota, we designed how to place 143 different plants inside and outside. The plants are not just for viewing and shading purposes, but we also considered their fragrance. We have designed the aroma-scape which is fitting the functions of each area in this building. In the work area there is freshness with lemon eucalyptus, in the private area there is relaxation with gardenia, and in the kitchen, there is jasmine planted, which you can put in water and drink it. In this way we can connect all our senses with the indoor plants, there is an experience of seeing, smelling, touching, picking, and tasting plants.
We used to control the indoor climate manually by opening the windows, from the beginning, later on nature took over. The indoor plants spread outside and outdoor ones inside, so we stopped to close the window, then the birds could enter and moved in with their nests. Now we have two pigeon couples living here, safe from outdoor enemies. We are also conducting a research to monitor this space, to find out how these conditions could be beneficial to human beings.

ZZ: So, we could say that main value of your work is to connect with nature more than it is usual in architecture, it is like crossing the boundaries and usual standards? Experimenting how much you can connect with the nature but still keep the comfortable conditions for human life? Atelier Tenjinyama shows a very radical concept, did you use such a radical approach also in other projects?

TF: Yes, my other works are also projects which attempt to connect humans with nature. For example, a family house with a photographer's studio, located in the mountains, in Gunma Prefecture. The site is on a slope, so at the beginning of the design process we planned to flatten the plot, but in the end, we decided to respect the terrain to avoid such heavy terrain modifications. That was also a good solution from the economic point of view. My client and I had a lot of discussions about whether to make a second floor and add the staircase. The client said that a slope would feel more comfortable and safer than stairs, so I designed a slope floor with a height difference of three metres. It does not only give you the feeling of being on the slope but a bigger perspective of being in the middle of a mountain. The sloped floor is not linear, but it is created by a part of a large circle which's centre is in the sky, as well as the roof, but they don't share the same diameter, so the corridor ceiling is lowest in the middle. This allows for dual aspects of space perception, going to the living space it provides an overhead view and going to the bedroom is an introverted view. Also, integration of an abstract element of a perfect circle connects the client to the wider environment.

HK: So, this work concept is simple, designed to use the original terrain on the site and abstractly connect the relationship with nature?

TF: That's right.

ZZ: Thank you very much for introducing your works. Let's continue to another question, how do you perceive the role of an architect in current and future society?

TF: In my studio, we work with nature on low-tech bases now, but I believe that in the future human technology will continue to advance as the knowledge about nature and ecosystems deepen. So far, humans have used nature in an egoistic way and I'm afraid that if humans will get that close, they will exploit nature even more. In my studio I want to treat the power of plants in a pristine way. We have to think about the proper respectful distance between natural ecosystems and humans. That's one of the roles of an architect.

ZZ: How far into the future do you think? For example, when you designed the planting of eucalyptus trees in your office, how many years into the future did you imagine? I think that when incorporating the nature into the design, the element of time is quite important.

TF: We expect that tree to grow more than over the ceiling. We even made an architectural model of this tree breaking through the glass ceiling when we were designing it, as it is one of the future possibilities (lol). Architecture is like a movie, it is not made up for just one point in the time, but is connected by a timeline. And when designing we think about changes and events we can enjoy to observe.

ZZ: Nice, so you are anticipating the whole cycle of building's life before it is born all the way to the end or beyond, as you design architecture. How do you perceive the importance of the architect's influence on the lives of ordinary city dwellers and where does it lead you in your own work?

TF: Architecture comes from the client and to be honest I do not have a strong architectural method. All our design starts from clients' need, their way of thinking, living, using of the building and their perception. Architects need to know their clients more and more.

ZZ: You are right, but on the other hand, architecture has a big influence not only on the client, but also on the people, the city and the environment around it. What about that aspect?

TF: Architecture is a circulation, just as people build buildings, buildings influence the surrounding site and the accumulation of these influences creates the city. I want to design architecture that has a good influence, in the way that my work attracts the interest and focus on its wider surroundings.

ZZ: Which social aspects do you find the most important for architects to think about?

TF: I think that fast technological progress is a kind of social aspect. The new technologies arise faster and faster, but I think we should think more deeply and judge more carefully about how this technology will be used, what kind of influence it brings to our world, what are the benefits and disadvantages. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger wrote an interesting thing about technology. He said that technology is not controlled by humans, but distances itself from them as an independent thing. Anyway, whether it is high-tech or low-tech, we should think about how we use that technology in the future.

ZZ: How does the Climate change influence your work?

TF: In recent years, more often high technological buildings have been designed to respond to climate change. However, the high technological buildings can desensitise our senses. For example, people living in high-rise buildings often don't realise that it is raining outside until they take the lift down to the ground floor and get out of the entrance. This is because the building is highly soundproofed to block outside noise and the air conditioning keeps the interior temperature constant, so they could not imagine it was raining. Human imagination has its limits and I am concerned that the high technological buildings will limit that imagination more and more.

ZZ: So, the more humans take control over the environment, the more we become disconnected from the environment and nature, and ultimately, we are losing more of our imagination. How should architects resolve this? Do you see any tools which architects could use?

TF: It is not about how much control we have over inner environment of the building itself, but more about how to design so human senses can relate to other things. To think about how to design buildings so you can see, smell, and hear the outside, even while using facility controls.

ZZ: How do you perceive the influence of the SDGs (Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN 2015) on Japanese architecture and how do you reflect them in your work?

TF: People in the architecture field know SDGs well, but the general public may not always be familiar with it. And because of that knowledge gap, it's not a universal communication tool with clients, and no matter how much architects recommend it to them, it's hard for them to promote it. It would be nice if there would be deeper knowledge about those 17 points among the general public. Education is important. I also work at the university, so I teach it to my students in the class. Anyway, projects focused on the SDGs still tend to be more business-like.

ZZ: You see, from my observation, I thought that the SDGs were well publicised in Japan as there are many SDG advertisements around. How do you see the Japanese public debate on the sustainability and adaptability of cities, is it sufficient and fruitful? Could you give some specific examples of its outcome?

TF: The environmental debate has produced some results: there are now several examples of buildings meeting standards for reducing the environmental impact of buildings that would have been impossible 10 years ago. I guess general contracting companies are doing more SDG projects than small architectural offices.

ZZ: What are the possibilities and limits of Japanese architects in creating ecological/sustainable architecture?

TF: As you know, Japan's declining population is causing a problem through increasing number of abandoned houses. Most of them are wooden, and compared to other countries, there are quite a few examples of wooden house renovations. I see a lot of potential in that, as the wood can be reused and recycled in various ways, and if we could use it locally, reducing the need for transport of new materials, it could also lower the CO2 footprint as well. And the limitation is that Japan has many earthquakes and other natural disasters, so the range of architectural freedom is limited by strict physical and regulatory requirements.

ZZ: In the eyes of Europeans, Japanese architecture has a very close relationship with nature. Where, in your opinion, do these roots lie? And is this relationship about ecology and sustainability?

TF: I guess there are two reasons. The first is that Japan is hot and humid due to the Asian monsoon climate, which makes it easier for plants to grow than in Europe. And with four seasons the nature changes dramatically over the year. So Japanese people feel closer to nature. The second one, I think is religious belief. We have Buddhist and Christian religions, but we are Shinto based and we believe that God resides in everything. Even in stones, rivers, and trees. All these beings are equal to humans.

ZZ: How do you perceive the problems of urban heat island (UHI) in Japanese cities? How do you see use of nature-based solutions (NBS) in this context and how do you use them in your work?

TF: UHI is one of the key topics to consider. It is very complex issue and there are so many factors which influence how the temperature in the city will evolve. From homogeneity of the buildings height influencing the air flow to air conditioning systems which cool the interior, but exhaust hot air outside, making cities even hotter. Population concentration is another factor in UHI, so proper urban density is to be considered as well as proper ratio of built volume and void space in urban planning will be necessary.
As for nature-based solutions from the investigation in my Atelier, as I mentioned at the beginning, about how much evaporation and air improvement a single tree can have, we could say that in the summer one tree has the same effect like one air-conditioning unit. But in the winter the tree is not going to heat the space. It would be interesting to learn more studies like this. On the other hand, I also believe in human intuition. The difference between solutions like green rooftops or green walls and the tree in my office is how much human intervention is needed there. In my office the trees are planted in the ground and they just grow by themselves, while rooftop greening and green facades requires human care and management, such as water sprinklers, which I consider as very human-centric method.

ZZ: Do you not water the trees in your office?

TF: I did, for the first year in the beginning. But they grew faster than we expected, so we stopped watering them. But they never stop growing (lol).

ZZ: Let's go to the next question, how do you perceive the role of public space in contemporary Japanese cities? How do you include it into your design process?

TF: The situation in Japanese public spaces is changing a bit. The public space is for everyone, but relies only on the government, which sets many strict regulations and rules, and the freedom of use is limited. As the government doesn't want to take a responsibility for the possible troubles. Anyway, lately we can see that a richer place could be provided as a common space by private investors, but it is somewhat targeted, and not really for everyone. I heard that in Europe, public spaces were created by the government and the bourgeoisie as well. In Gunma prefecture for example, Mr. Tanaka, CEO of glasses company in Maebashi City, provides many public spaces for citizens. Like this, if individuals as well as the government intervene in creating public space, the strict regulations can be loosened.

ZZ: Do you use methods of participation/communication with the public or the local community in your work and how do you perceive this method in the context of Japanese society?

TF: When we design the public building, like a kinder garden or school, we tend to hold the workshop to discuss with many people over the site plan and the building concept. It is interesting to receive different viewpoints, it can trigger the original unexpected ideas during such a workshop. But it is difficult in Japanese society. However, I find that although there are hardly few honest opinions at the beginning of a discussion, which is then not very creative, it becomes more productive after many times of meeting together, then people can become more open minded to other opinions.

ZZ: Who usually organises such participatory meetings? Do you have any recommendations for other architects how to promote productive discussions with public? Do you have any good methods?

TF: I organise them from my initiative and I am often assisted by people from the government and constructors.
It is not good to just listen to each person's requirements separately, it is better to let those requirements be heard by other people who have different opinions, to confront them. For example, in case of school, if you get people from different positions - local residents, teachers, parents - to participate at a table together, it becomes gradually less self-serving.
I would say that I don't talk too much. I take the audience's position during the discussion, even though the architect will make the final decision.

ZZ: What would you recommend to the upcoming generation of architects - students of architecture, what topics should they focus their attention on?

TF: I encourage the next generation to see the system of relations between natural and artificial world. And to consider the rights, not only the rights of humans, but of trees, flowers, and animals. For example, in Japan we do whaling, but in Europe it is banned for protection reasons. Since modern times, the rights of living beings have been slowly reconsidered. Maybe there is even a future where the wooden logs or sticks we use, can no longer be made to protect the rights of trees. For example, through the lens of SDGs, wood made architecture is better than the concrete one, this way we treat the trees only as a material, but actually the tree is a living creature as well. In the future there will be a great debate on the treatment of living beings as a material. It is important to find out how we create ethical relationships with living creatures and respect them.

ZZ: That is a big task for the future. Thank you very much for taking this interesting interview!