John Peter O Acayan 4th Year Architecture
Landscape and Architecture Designs Across the World John Peter O Acayan Traveling to China and Japan was a great experience. I learned and saw how different architecture and landscape is designed compared to California. Although different to California, both China and Japan share similarities in Traditional Architecture and Landscape design. From these traditional designs come the design of new modern architecture. Modern architecture in China and Japan does use tradition when planning and designing programs. In Japan, designing with simplicity is still used when creating new places to allow for no wasted space. In China, there designs uses feng
shui to design and place programs. Modern architecture grows in these places, but still retains the traditional styles from long ago. China and Japan uses similar design elements when designing their landscape. These elements help create sceneries that people can enjoy and relax in. However, China incorporates architecture to divide landscape so that you can see it in parts. Japan does it where the landscape divides itself, but when you are in it you do not notice separations.
One of the great things for me in Japan was that I got to see one of my favorite architect’s designs. Tadao Ando’s works are something else and being there to actually see and feel it was a dream come true. His design with concrete fascinates me because he is able to create forms that you do not often see other people try and create with concrete.
CHAPTER ONE: China’s Greenery China has many gardens that we visited during our time there. From Shanghai to Beijing, these gardens share elements you can see throughout them. They combine landscape and architecture to design spaces for people to enjoy, relax and appreciate.
CHAPTER TWO: Traditional and Modern Design China has been able to preserve traditional architecture while being able to make modern advancement in newer styles of architecture. With the preservation of these traditional styles, gives way for people to learn from the past so that they can design and preserve these buildings for the future. CHAPTER THREE: Nanluoguxiang The project that we were given in China was located in Nanluoguxiang. As a group we did a site analysis of the area and designed a place that would reside in the area that would be more for the residents than the visitors. This project lasted two weeks and I learned a lot about how to work and design as a group rather than working separately. CHAPTER FOUR: Traditional and Modern Design 2 Japanese architecture and landscape is designed differently that what I have learned. There are different architecture styles and the landscape is very beautiful and taken care of. These things are something you should experience yourself to see new things.
CHAPTER FIVE: King of Concrete Tadao Ando is a well known architect and pritzker prize winner. He is known for the use of concrete in many of his work. I visited multiple designs he has created within Japan, from Naoshima Island to Tokyo.
CHAPTER SIX: Tokyo Itinerary We take a tour of Tokyo’s City Ward, Shinjuku. We visit multiple parks and buildings and museums by well known architects. We also went to an area that lets you experience the old-world Tokyo.
CHAPTER ONE: China’s Greenery Gardens The Chinese gardens we visited used similar elements when planning and designing them. The elements I noticed the gardens used and shared were water, stones, plants, and bamboo. These Chinese gardens were also filled with architecture, from pavilions and temples to bridges. These landscape and architectural elements blend together to create places and sceneries that people can enjoy. There were also smaller details that you would not notice unless you carefully walked around and looked at your surroundings. There were multiple gardens that we visited that I enjoyed. The very first garden we visited was the Yu Garden. This was the first garden we went and where I noticed the small details. When you are walking, the pathways are made up of small rocks and pebbles that formed a pattern, shape or even an animal. The one thing that bothered me about these patterns was that they would eventually take a toll on the sole of your feet. I am not saying that my feet were hurting while walking at this garden, but when we got to other gardens later in the day it was tiring. Other small details that you could notice were the openings they had for windows on the walls. The windows used different patterns which I thought was interesting because it gave you different views of what was on the other side of that wall. Another garden we went to was the Lion Forest Garden. The Garden was an interesting place to go
because of how they planned and designed the rocks. The rocks were sculpted to look like lions in different postures like playing, roaring, or fighting. These sculpted rocks formed a labyrinth that people could walk-through. I thought that being able to walk through and around the rocks was very enjoyable, but because of my height, it was hard to walk through it. We also went to one of the largest gardens in China, The Humble Administrator’s Garden. This garden is separated into 3 parts with walls to allow for you to enjoy the whole garden in parts. In the eastern section, where you enter, has more landscape than the rest of the garden with a lot of grass, trees, and bamboo. There is also a stream that flows between the landscape that you see when you walk over some of the bridges. The central area is the best part of the garden where one-third of it is covered with water. You are able to get close to the water and touch it. The rocks near the water were great places to sit and sketch. There is also a hill with a pavillion on top where you can go and enjoy the whole central area. The western area of the garden was similar to the central area, but densely packed. Within this section, there is a bonsai garden, but it was being watered at the time so we could not enter. The whole garden was a great place to see with different views created with the hills, plants, and buildings. The Humble Administrator’s Garden used every element to create a place where people could enjoy the elements.
One more garden to add that I went to myself was the Jing’an Sculpture Garden. This was an open garden that was next to Shanghai National History Museum. This garden was more open where people can easily see the sculptures that were created. I randomly found this place, but the area felt more modern than the other gardens I have been to. It had a lot of grassy areas where the sculptures were placed and used hedges to divide and separate area like the old garden used walls. This garden used many of the elements other gardens used, but were very small allowing visitors to not be overwhelmed and would be able to take in everything they saw. These gardens were very interesting to go to and there were others we went also. The downside to them is that there are a lot of people in these areas so it is hard to appreciate the gardens and buildings. Also, for me, there are spaces that are smaller that made it harder to walk for someone of my size. I think these gardens are great places to enjoy and appreciate.
“Landscape design connects everything together without it, everything is separated.”
Yu Garden Bridge
Yu Garden Patterns
Yu Garden Pattern
Humble Administrator’s Garden
Pearl Tower Garden
Yu Gardens
Lion Forest Garden Rocks
Tuisi Garden
Yu Garden Floor Pattern
Yu Garden Windows
Yu Garden Windows
Lion Forest Garden
Jing’an Sculpture Garden
Pearl tower Garden
Jing’an Sculpture Garden
Jing’an Sculpture Garden
Pearl tower Garden
Humble Administrator’s Garden
CHAPTER TWO: Traditional and Modern Design China’s Architectural Styles There were many styles of architecture that I saw in China. The most I saw was traditional with modern mixed in as well. Many of the traditional architecture I saw was within the gardens. The traditional buildings and designs in gardens would complement the scenery it was placed and gave different views of the gardens. Simple designs that enhanced the views of the gardens were the moon gates and windows that were different shapes. They helped frame what was beyond them and, at the same time, section off areas so that the viewer was not looking at so much at the same time. Other places there was traditional architecture was walking to the Yu Garden and at the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. When we were walking through these places you could see the traditional styles, with the curved roofs, wood frames, and color. At the same time, at the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven you could see how they have made improvements to allow those with disabilities to be able to experience the places without struggling to get places. Modern architecture could be seen everywhere. However, looking and doing a little research, I believe to see two kinds of modern architecture. There is an old and a new modern architecture. Old modern architecture is designs that happened after traditional. On one of the free days we visited 1933 Slaughterhouse in Shanghai. Building using old modern architecture using
britsh design and built by chinese people. The building used concrete, glass and steel and is considered the last building with this kind of design in the world. During one of our walking tours, we saw an iconic building, the Fosun Foundation. I can this an iconic building because once you see it you instantly know that you have seen that building before. The building is known for its movable facade unfortunately, the time we saw it, it was not moving. I consider this modern because a movable facade is not something we see with older modern buildings. A building I thought that was modern was Shanghai Natural History Museum. What makes it more modern is that is was a bioclimatic building. That means that the skin on the exterior has some sustainability use; the skin maximizes the amount of daylight that came in while minimizing the solar gain. Other buildings that I remembered that I thought were modern was the Shanghai World Expo Museum and Himilayas Art Center. The World Expo Museum uses new modern architecture by how there are not too many buildings that use the similar material as it. Also, the construction used is more energy efficient, making this a green building. I consider the Himalayas Art Center to be modern because of the curves that they used to create
spaces people can interact with. The area that that is created with curves is suppose to represent an “organic forest.” On the sides of the “organic forest,” there are chinese characters that are used to the shading of the building, something that I have not seen in other buildings. Architecture in China is fascinating because they are able to retain traditional architecture while there is a growing practice of modern architecture. I thought that China would be more modernized because a lot of our technology is built there. Also, I think that they are able to preserve traditional architecture better that what I have seen in California. The ones I have seen in California, only the exterior is traditional while the interior is modern. In China, they are able to keep the structure, design, and aspects of traditional architecture while at the same time being able to design and build more modern buildings.
“Preserve the past, so the future can build and preserve for the next generation.
The Bund
Temple of Heaven
Forbidden City
SOHO Galaxy
Shanghai Natural History Museum
1933 Slaughterhouse
Entrance to Yuyuan District
Forbidden City
View from Shanghai Tower
Himalayas Art Center
Shanghai Natural History Museum
Shanghai World Expo Museum
Image Citation or Title
CHAPTER THREE: Nanlouguxiang Site Analysis and Design Nanluoguxiang is a long alleyway comprised of commercial and food shops. From that long alleyway, smaller roads diverge from it called hutongs. These hutongs are where the resident’s courtyards connect and there are even small shops that sell food and drinks. Within these hutongs, Chinese culture is preserved, shared, and evolved. The design for our project started with finding an area that we could build on. The reason we looked for an area was that we did not want to destroy any of the historic courtyards in the area. The site we decided on was an abandoned building with open space behind it. After finding an area we could work with, we interviewed people in the hutongs so we could get an idea for what we could design within the hutongs. We first ran into Peter, a young resident of the hutongs. He gave us insight into the area and what he looks for if we were to build something in the hutongs. He told us that he had learned in school about the preservation of the courtyard and its culture. He also talked about how he enjoyed the peace and quiet of the hutongs compared to the main road of Nanluoguxiang and seeing the elderly people of the community playing cards or chess. Peter thought that the hutongs had a lack of a place to unwind and trees or shaded areas to rest along the road. He also explained because of the foot traffic on the main road, that it has created more traffic on the streets. We interviewed other people and they had similar views on the area
like having more open space and preservation of culture. With the information we gathered, our group develops solutions to create design and layout that would best fit the hutongs. The design of the space would encompass modernity through, community self-growth, cultural preservation, and sustainable development. From these ideas we created design strategies and principles so that we would stay in path with the idea we and that we would not design something random. From these ideas we selected programs that would include our ideas: Commons, Edible Garden, Library, Performance Stage, and Studio. Once we decided on the programs, we then placed them is specific places to follow our ideas. We wanted to follow the north-south axis and have a past-present-future connection with each other. From the south of our site we started with the Commons, a place that children and kids would play and hang out with each other. Then going up we placed a library on the right side of the site, a place where kids can learn about the present and the future and the elderly can do storytelling about the past. We wanted the site to have a connection to the hutongs so we created courtyards that are parallel to the library where there is a bridge that connects them. These courtyards would be a place where kids can learn about the past. Moving north
of the site is an open performance area where people can come and play music or have a play about history. Then at the very top are the studios where people can have hands on learning. The landscape was planned out by our teammate from landscape architecture. She was able to plan out and design the landscape to connect the buildings together and bring the whole site together as one. It was very interesting to take this kind of class with having no experience working with others to create, plan, and design a site that would connect with the surrounding area. The class was very quick, so you have to be prepared to do corrections and have something new next day. The class is not where you can just do your part and be done, you have to connect the work you have done with the everyone work.
“Design with purpose, don’t create something with no meaning in it.”
Group Photo with Peter by Airene Dizon
1st Phase Site Planning
Library Roof Design
2st Phase Site Planning
Final Phase Site Planning
Site Axonometric by John Acayan, Juilo Rodas, and Bricel Torrez
Morning
Afternoon
Morning vs. Afternoon Crowd
Street Traffic near Site
Residents of the Hutongs
Previous Building on Site (left side)
CHAPTER FOUR: Traditional and Modern Design 2 Japanese Architectural Styles Japanese architecture and landscape to me was very different from what I have seen in California, but similar to chinese architecture. For one they both take care of the traditional architecture of the temples and the landscape that surrounds them. In the early morning or afternoons you might see someone taking care of taking care of the landscape: cutting branches, sweeping leaves, or scrubbing floors by the Temizuya. They also share the same elements that create a garden, but are used differently to design one. There are some differences though, for example, Japanese gardens are all open without any dividers to create different sceneries. Something I thought was interesting was at the Imperial Palace. They had large pieces of stones that created walls and areas where they planted trees. It made me wonder how they constructed the area and they were able to maintain the area. I remember learning that the place was once burned down which made me wonder if they really used large stone rocks to replace the ones that broke. While in Japan, most of the architecture saw was modern with a bit of traditional here and there. These little traditional areas I saw were the temples that were in either in gardens or parks. Another place I saw traditional architecture was during the tour and we went to Omoide Yokoncho. This area was a street made with many old restaurants that had an old style of architecture. This style of architecture for restaurants I believe is still used
in many places, but is modernized to adapt to the growing society. The style it to keep the place small where people just come in to eat and leave right after they are done. Walking through Japan, there was a lot of different styles of architecture around. My favorite thing that happened was when I was walking and told someone that one of the buildings looked very interesting. Later, we found out it was designed by Kenzo Tange, the architect who built the Yoyogi Olympic Stadium. There were more instances where it happened again. There were also building that I would recognize because I either learned about it or saw photos of it on Instagram. The places I saw different kinds of architecture right next to each other was when we were walking to Omotesando Hills and around Ginza. It is like there was no specific style of architecture and you were free to design the exterior of the building to however the owner wants it to be.
“Create your own style, there is bound to be someone who wants your design.�
Nation Museum of Western Art
Sumida Hokusai
Shinto Shrine
Nezu Museum
Tokyo Imperial Palace
Bamboo forest near Ginkakuji
Trivial Familiar
Tokyo Imperial Palace
Taking care of the Landscape
View of Shinjuku Gyoen National Park from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Kinkaku-Ji
Trisha Mejia swinging in front of Sumida Hokusai
Walking to Omotesando Hills
Asukusa Culture Tourist Information Center
Framing Skytree Tokyo
Walking to Tokyo Imperial Palace
CHAPTER SIX: Japan Walking Itinerary Tour of Shinjuku The walking tour started off going Shinjuku Junisha Kumano Shrine located in Shinjuku Chuo Park. The park is split into 3 areas. One area had a playground and a water play pool. Another area was an Athletic ground that had a basketball court and futsai field. The last area is the main area where the shrine is located with eco gallery, fujimidai hill, and other places. The park is a place where office workers can go and have their lunch, people can walk their dogs, workout, read a book, and other activities. The park also had a main attraction, Shinjuku Niagara Falls. I thought it was hilarious that they called it that even though it completely did not look like the real Niagara Falls. It was nice to sit near it and listen to the waterfall. The people at the park are very friendly and a person even allowed us to pet his dog. Afterwards, we went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building that was around the corner built by Kenzo Tange. We had to wait around 45 minutes to get to the observation deck on the 45th floor. Once we got to the deck, we could see all of Shinjuku. What was very interesting to see was that many of the building around were not that tall; that is Japan is known for its earthquakes. I believe that they keep them at a certain height so that they can reduce the damage caused by the earthquakes. Another thing I thought was interesting about seeing these buildings was that the ones that looked
small were quite tall, maybe 8 stories high, and if there were no skyscrapers, many buildings would be considered the tallest.
I could of got to see more of it, but we had a reservation at the Yayoi Kusama Museum and went there last.
Then we visited the Cocoon Tower and was also built by Kenzo Tange. The building is a 50 story educational facility with three educational facilities: Tokyo Mode Gakuen (fashion vocational school), HAL Tokyo (special technology and design college), and Shuto Iko (medical college). When we got closer to the building we saw that there were pools of water around the building. We could not go past the second level so we took the stairs to the underground level where we could see the steel structure of the building. Then we went to Omoide Yokoncho where we let the group look around and have lunch. This street is made up of many small restaurants packed along a small corridor. Many of these restaurants sold skewers and there were a few noodle soup restaurants too. Another name for this place was Piss Alley. This area is a great place to experience old-world Tokyo. After lunch, we went to Shinjuku Gyoen National Park. We saw the park earlier from the Metropolitan Government building. The park is one of the oldest japanese traditional gardens in tokyo. Within it, there was an english and french garden. The park was very big and I wished
“Travel more to experience new things and expand your horizon.�
Cocoon Tower
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Shinjuku Junisha Kumano Shrine
Shinjuku Niagara Falls
Shinjuku Central Park
Cocoon Tower
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Shinjuku Gyoen National Park
Shinjuku Mitsui Building’s Fountain
CHAPTER FIVE: King of Concrete Tadao Ando’s Master pieces Going to Japan was a great experience. I have always wanted to go and this program was a great opportunity to be able to. What got me very interested in Japan was learning Japanese architecture my first year in college. I learned and did a project on the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. In Japan, I got to see many of his works in Tokyo, Hyogo, and Naoshima Island. In Tokyo, the Tadao Ando work I got to visit the 21_21 Design Sight and Omotesando Hills. Omotesando Hills is a place where you can go shopping or relax at one of the cafes inside. Inside, there is an atrium in the center that connects three underground levels and above is a glass ceiling that illuminates the atrium. The platforms that surrounds the atrium has the same exact slope as the streets outside which slowly ascends to the top floor. 21_21 Design Sight is a museum that uses a metal roofing. The metal roof design has a single fold that touches down on one side and os surrounded with glass to enclose the space. The building has two levels: one one ground level and one below. Only one side of the building allows you to go underground. When we were there, they had an art installation where you could play ping pong. In Hyogo, we visited the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art and the Water Temple. The temple is located in the Awaji Island and built within the mountain. Another thing to note is that it is behind a temple next to a cemetery. When your walking
to the Water Temple, you walk between the temple and cemetery. After, you follow a path that leads to a wall where you walk around it to the left to get around to the entrance of the Water Temple. At first, you would think that the shape under is oval like the top, but it is actually a circle with a square inside it. The material to create these shapes are wood where the circle is made with planks are not bent or cut to make a perfect circle. If you were to look at it from a plan view, it would look like a circle where you can see each pixel to form a circle. The square inside is formed also using wood and where the shrine that sit in the middle. I thought that this was an interesting place, but I thought there was more to the building than just a shrine. The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art was a great place to go because the have a part of the museum dedicated to Tadao and his works. I got to the first project that I studied: the Koshino House. There was also a large model of the House of Light. It was great to see this model because I could not visit the actual building. They had a souvenir shop where I got to purchase some books on Tadao Ando and his works. On Naoshima Island, we visited three of Tadao Ando’s work: Chichu Museum, Lee Ufan Museum, and Benesse House. At all these museum we could not take pictures because the entire museum is considered an art space. The First museum I went to was the Chichu Museum. It was interesting to see the open spaces that were created by removing shapes from the ground. I thought that this place was a great place to sketch with the openings
from the sky that create shadows that give areas a different look. The next museum I went to was the Lee Ufan Museum. This museum was much smaller with only one interior space and the rest of the artwork outside. I did like how you enter the area of the museum; you have to go down some stairs that is on the side of a concrete wall that is not part of any building. It was also interesting that to get ot the admission area you zig zag through these large corridors that use concrete walls that vary in sizes. The last museum, Benesse House, was an interesting area because I cannot see that place as a house. It was so large that it could be a place for multiple people. Although I am not an art person, there was an air piece I liked. The other art piece that I liked was Kan Yasuda’s “The Secret of The Sky” which is a rock sculpture that you could sit and lay down on. I almost fell asleep on the rock; they in a space that was so peaceful where I could lay down for hours. There are more works of Tadao Ando I would love to see and I hope to visit Japan again.
“I would like my architecture to inspire people to use their own resources, to move into the future.” -Tadao Ando
Benesse House Museum
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Chichu Art Museum
Chichu Art Museum
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
21_21 Design Sight
Benesse House Museum Laying on “The Secret of The Sky”
Chichu Art Museum
Water Temple
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art