Tokyo: Matabolistic and Post-Metabolistic Architecture
The metabolist movement is based on the development of sustainable structures in response to the environmental crisis was popular in the wide application of the concept. In architecture, the term is used in referring to recent eco-technological building solutions, new materials, and the eco-labeling and it rarely refers to the social-cultural setting and practice. Despite the emergence of new building regulations, sustainable architecture is not popular as a concept that drives greater systemic change in the society that could involve a radical rethinking of the mainstream economics, sustainable lifestyles ad consumption patterns in the society. In Japan, Metabolism started in the 1960s, and it runs through the 1970s; this era drew significant attention from the international architectural society due to it is radical and highly visionary urban architectural schemes that targeted sustainable society among the Metabolists.
The main agenda of the Metabolists were perceived from a contemporary perspective where it was viewed as a means through the societal concerns relating to cultural resilience as a notion of national identity. This system often responded to both the environmental and human catastrophes of the Atomic Bomb of Japan and the vulnerability of Japan to natural disasters like Earthquakes and Tsunamis. The architects of the time envisioned complete transformation if the Japanese system of the social-political, economic and physical structures into some form of resilient spatial and organizational patterns which are highly adaptable to change.
In architecture, Metabolism has become very popular, and it is based on the thinking of reorganization of the relationship between people and society through effective planning that would make people free. The metabolists including Tange considered the Japanese specific culture and social context as their point of development or designing of the metabolism philosophy. These architects emphasized the emergence of new models that were universally valid and applicable. In this case, the Metabolist movement’s principle served as the monument of the Ise Shrine that was reconstructed every 20 years since the 7th century.
Metabolism also served as a critique of the social-political makeup of Japanese which was considered a failure in adapting to rapid techno-economic developments in the society. Tange and the Metabolists always criticized the entire Japanese planning systems for their non-transparent forms of power that existed then in the political leadership of the country. The new language sought to establish urbanism in Japan. Until the times of post-world war ii, city planning was not taken seriously in Japan since the cities did not redevelop based on urban plans. However, the process of redevelopment of the cities was influenced by the power of relationships which were reflected in the layer upon layer of political social and economic realities of the time that Japan had burned cities. This essay uses the architecture of the metabolic eras by Fumihiko Maki (Tokyo Bay) and architectural work by Toyo Ito for the post-metabolic Era to illustrate the differences between the design and building work of the metabolic and post-metabolic era.
Fumihiko Maki
Tokyo’s Tokyo Bay gained significant attention both domestically and internationally making it trigger significant discussions on city planning. Tokyo was equally criticized for technological determinism and monumentality. There are some dangers associated with the main structure getting obsolete although it allows for infill and change. This issue was also debated by the Metabolists themselves. Fumihiko Maki reflected on Group Form, as the solution for the ‘system that permits’ the greatest levels of efficiency and flexibility with the smallest organizational structure in the market. In 1964, Fumihiko Maki published his research on Group Form. Maki distinguished three different collective forms which were the compositional (modernist scape), megastructures like Tange Tokyo Bay Project and the group form.
The building has some elements that can be added and some others that be eliminated or removed without destroying the balance of the whole composition just like in the modern assemble. Tokyo Bay has a fixed number of segments as per the master plan of the architect. In the master plan, the design process was divided into the functional planning phase followed by the phase of erecting individual buildings. In this case, megastructure was an open structure that did not have a fixed concept of composition, and it showed that the infrastructures which are mainly human-made landscapes where functions and various elements of the society grow and thrive. The ‘master system’ replaces the masterplan. During this time, Maki considered the master system in it is adaptability to change and swung into the ‘formal and structural equilibrium’ which preserved the same time which takes the form of visual integrity and group form which is rather based on a group program rather than on a determined plan which results in non-arranged collective forms which is contrary to the master plan systems.
The layout of the group form stayed highly dynamic and open-ended. Maki described the cluster-like arrangements with the words ‘it is not necessary to limit composition to geometric, inorganic, structural, as well as mechanical patterns. Rather, groups form a visual expression, intuitive expression of energy and sweat of millions of individuals in the cities.
Toyo Ito Architecture
Toyo Ito was born in 1941. Toto Ito is a Japanese architecture which is well known for having created conceptual architecture that expressed the physical and virtual worlds. Toyo Ito is a leading exponent of architecture which addresses the contemporary notion of the ‘simulated’ cities. This has made Toyo considered one of the world’s most innovative and highly influential architects. In 2013, Toyo was awarded the Pritzker Prize after being a front runner in the award for around ten years in the past. Some of the great architectural works by Toyo Ito include the tower of winds (Yokohama, 1986) and Sendai Mediatheque (2001).
The tower of winds was a project that was largely indicative of Toyo Ito’s approach towards architecture especially his beliefs towards the significance of technology and the critical role that technology plays in the future of architectural design work. The Tower of Winds did not only embrace technology and involve a dialogue with the city, but it establishes a direct symbolic relationship between nature and installation.
By day, the Tower of Winds is perforated aluminum panels which reflect the city through the reflective surfaces that cover the steel core. This project is rather humble, and this reflects the city using the complexity of it is material. In the night times, the Tower of winds takes a more proactive role by translating wound and wind into light using two computers that sense the changing wind and the noise levels as per the 1300 lamps, 30 flood lights at the base of the building and 12 neon rings around the building.
The tower of winds is constantly transforming, it is small lams change their colors as per the surrounding, and the neon rings ripple as per the winds of the city. The consequences are that there is no specific pattern since the light display is a direct form of representation of the environment which is reflected in the 21-meter high cylinder surface. The tower of winds lies on a technological sculpture that welcomes most of the travelers who are arriving at the Yokohama railway station. The building also has sufficient water tanks that serve the air conditioning machines used in the underground mall that the tower of winds sits on top. Toyo Ito created an infinite relationship between technological developments in architecture, the city and it is inhabitants where it emphasizes the significant impact that the city has on the human race and the critical role that technology plays in the architectural profession.
Comparing their Different Versions of a City
A comparison between Fumihiko Maki’s Tokyo Bay and Toyo Ito’s Tower of Winds establishes critical information on the differences existing between the metabolic architecture and the post-metabolic architecture of the time.
The inspiration behind the creation of most of the metabolic architecture was creating an environment that could support life which the post-metaplastic architecture is inspired by the need to ensure buildings are sustainable. For instance, in the metabolic schemes like Tokyo Bay, the notion of place is often ignored in favor of the spatial relationship existing between change, temporality, and process. The interests of exploring the new spatial organizational patterns are prominent than longing for recreating a lost place and rather new forms of habitants are explored. A close examination of the tower of winds establishes that the inspiration behind the construction of the building is the unique form of ambiance that it offers rather than the elements of ensuring effective utilization of space and supporting good interactions between humans and the architectural structures. This, therefore, shows that indeed the post-world war 11 sentiments had a significant influence on the metabolic architects’ ideas for sustainable architecture.
The Tokyo Bay shows the signs of being expandable, and it has mixed uses which are some of the basic elements that describe the building as being metabolism, even though it does not necessarily work this way. On the other hand, the tower of winds does not exhibit signs of serving many purposes or being expandable, but it instead shows signs of being adaptable to the environment as evident from the fact that the lighting on the building keeps changing depending on the nature of the environment. While Maki has the objective of creating architecture buildings that could support human life in the era of reconstruction of Japanese cities, Toyo Ito’s objective was building a relationship with the city alive, even during the night times for purposes of ensuring that the building would not switch off but continue to interact with its surrounding even when in absence of the natural light.
The metabolistic architecture like Tokyo Bay represents high levels of creativity in the architectural world since it introduces designs that can be modified to serve many different purposes (Clancey, 2006). On the other hand, the recent architectural structures in the post-metabolic era are highly innovative forms of architecture whose formal solutions and use of technology show the contemporary 21st-century architecture. The tower of winds was initially developed in the 1960s but later demolished in the 1990s, and it was then transformed to this anonymous strong urban landmark using the element of light as the dominant feature of the building.
The catalyst for Metabolists was the role of urban development could play in solving the issues relating to the rapid growth of megacities on a scale never seen before. The search of resilient environments and sustainable architecture is not new, and although some of the terminologies never existed in the 1960s, new terms, tools, and images were formed during this time (Hyeon-Jeong, 2014). The current debates on how sustainable cities needs to be developed given challenges like land scarcity, pressure on infrastructures, unequal development, the democratic issue in planning dates to the times of Metabolists.
Conclusion
The discussions above show that the metabolism and the post-metabolic eras f architecture are two divergent periods representing Japanese architecture. In the metabolic schemes, the notion of place is often ignored in favor of issues to do with spatial relationships of change, temporary and process. The main interests in the exploration of new spatial organization patterns are more prominent than the longing of recreating lost place rather than the potential of new habitats are explored. The war experiences and the significant losses that were consequences associated with loss of place triggers the creation of new architectural designs in the metabolic periods. The metabolic period created visionary works on a large urban scale, however, it is only a few of the projects that were built and they were mainly of moderate sizes.
