FUNCTIONALITY OF THE PILLAR 2

In order to discuss theHouse in White in detail, we must discuss Shinohara's architectural insights. Regarding the traditional architecture and aesthetic culture of Japan and China, Shinohara proposes the theory of "frontality," which states that all Eastern architecture and creations are two-dimensional and that there is a particular aesthetic perspective in our typical aesthetic, which is typically the front. This architectural idea imparts a feeling of tension to all structures when seen from the front, but when the vision turns to the side, this tension fades or vanishes.

Conversely, the House in White is an effort to go from frontality to complexity. The column is the space's spirit. It establishes a type of immanent interaction with the pure white wall, simultaneously severing space and time and generating a sensation of constant tension from all directions, therefore destroying the conventional frontality of architecture.

When a column is placed in a specific area, it defines the surrounding space and spatial zones. When placed in the middle of the room, it divides the surrounding area into equal zones; when placed offcenter, the size, shape, and position of the surrounding spatial zone will alter. The lone column lacks directionality yet attracts attention to itself; hence, it serves as the beginning place for meditation. It arouses the viewer's curiosity and perplexity about a place. By comparing the forms of existence of the columns in space, we may visually see that the scene's center of gravity has shifted.

When a visitor looks at the columns, he or she must also notice the white wall that appears in the backdrop; this contrast makes the depth between the two seem abstractly flattened. The space is split as if by a nonexistent line, yet it is not divided. As one goes around the house, the column-divided space becomes more unstable. By observing the middle column, one's visual experience of space is altered.

FIG 12. The pillar is like the dividing line in mange. the time for the hostess who keeps making the scupture seems to be paused, while the time for the host who has done many different activities still goes by. These two people are like in the same space but on different timelines.

Additionally, the columns themselves are utilized to separate time. Shinohara considers Japanese and even oriental architecture to be ageless and unchanging. By static, he indicates that the movement of humans in space is unconscious and just a transition to reach another place. The scenery of the destination is the design's original aim. Nonetheless, at the House in White, there is an intentional effort to study the flow of space. But the existence of the column prevents the open view from being uninterrupted. Therefore the viewer's time is likewise invisibly split. Moreover, imagine that on the two sides of the column, on the left is the hostess reading a book, and on the right is the host drinking tea; the two people who are in the same time and space are effectively separated in different time and space due to the existence of a wooden column, which resembles a dividing line in a manga.

The column is the house's focal point, yet it seems off-center due to the spatial layout. This decentralized abstraction supplants the conventional sense of Japanese interior space with a more contemporary abstract three-dimensional composition. Such a design deviates from the convention yet is unfettered by architectural philosophy or form.

There is another column feature in the design of Chinese architect Lei Zhang that is reminiscent of the House in White. Under the abstract red concrete courtyard stage of the Xinanli Master Studio's redevelopment project, there is an art gallery. One of the red pillars is attached to the same-material ceiling. The column in the design assists in supporting the above stairs but is not a necessary structure. It is maintained by the architect for similar reasons as the "House in White" that it acts as spatial division and hint.