{"id":313,"date":"2014-06-10T15:36:47","date_gmt":"2014-06-10T14:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zoomjapan.info\/wp\/?p=313"},"modified":"2016-01-20T14:06:42","modified_gmt":"2016-01-20T14:06:42","slug":"no22-culture-ito-toyo-in-the-service-of-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/2014\/06\/10\/no22-culture-ito-toyo-in-the-service-of-men\/","title":{"rendered":"No22 [Culture] Ito Toyo, in the service of men"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"no222\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On his recent visit to Paris, the winner of the\u00a02013 Pritzker Architecture Prize returned\u00a0to the subject of his different projects.\u00a0Zoom Japon, our French sister publication,\u00a0made a plea to its readers to help rebuild Rikuzentakata\u2019s\u00a0community centre.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The donors\u00a0would like to know what has become of this\u00a0project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ito Toyo: I would like to thank them for their\u00a0great generosity. In Rikuzentakata it was Mrs.\u00a0Sugawara, who used to be a hairdresser, who\u00a0headed the group of people who came forward at\u00a0the start of the project. She then started a nonprofit\u00a0organization to manage the centre once it\u00a0was ready. But truthfully, in view of the continuing\u00a0lack of housing in the area, and the delay in rebuilding,\u00a0the centre still isn\u2019t running well enough\u00a0to welcome people. That is why I started a nonprofit organization called Minna No Ie Network\u00a0(the Community Centre Network) in order to\u00a0help manage these places correctly and keep people\u00a0better informed about their activities. As its president,\u00a0I submitted this project on March the\u00a011th. It should soon see the daylight, and will\u00a0help the management of all these centres.<\/p>\n

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Are the other architects who were part of the\u00a0community centre project also part of this new\u00a0organization? I\u2019m thinking of Kuma Jengo, Sejima\u00a0Kazuyo, Naitoh Hiroshi or Yamamoto\u00a0Riken.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: This community centre was Kishin no\u00a0Kai\u2019s (Association for the Return) project, and\u00a0it was created by these architects. But currently\u00a0there\u2019s only Mrs. Sejima working at the community\u00a0centre. M Yamamoto built a house with the donations\u00a0that he collected himself. So both Mrs\u00a0Sejima and I, in collaboration with young architects,\u00a0have decided to continue with the project.\u00a0The Kishin no Kai group was dissolved in the\u00a0spring.<\/p>\n

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How many houses were built after the one in\u00a0Rikuzentakata?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: Currently, there are ten, and a few others\u00a0are in the process of being built.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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How do you select a spot to build a community\u00a0centre?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: First of all we visit the cities on foot and\u00a0then we meet the local authorities (the city hall\u00a0and prefecture) before drawing up a plan of the\u00a0building. It\u2019s quite difficult. The project is often\u00a0well received by the local population, but the authorities\u00a0usually consider it as potentially extra\u00a0work. It\u2019s quite complicated as we are in the\u00a0middle of a period of reconstruction. Moreover,\u00a0there are big differences between what we think\u00a0and what the authorities think. But at the end of\u00a0the day, most of our projects received a warm\u00a0welcome.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Once they have been built, do you go to look at\u00a0how people are using the building?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T. : Yes, I often go. I visit the first centre built\u00a0near Sendai and discuss things with the residents\u00a0over a glass of sake.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Are you asked to build centres adapted to particular\u00a0locations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.:Yes, that often happens during conferences.\u00a0But the residents\u2019 requests alone are not enough\u00a0to build a community centre. You also need the\u00a0support of the local authorities. On top of that,\u00a0the problems we encounter on site and with the\u00a0project management are considerable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is that the same with the construction and the\u00a0management?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.:Only the construction. As far as management\u00a0is concerned, the authorities sometimes deal with\u00a0electricity, gas, etc. There are also cases in which a\u00a0committee in charge of the social housing takes\u00a0care of the management. It\u2019s not an easy question\u00a0to solve. Our new association was created to help\u00a0with all of that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How does your association communicate your\u00a0needs in Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: We\u2019re more likely to communicate our\u00a0needs internationally. It is strange but nobody in\u00a0Japan is used to donating. There were some donations\u00a0after the earthquake, but three years have\u00a0gone by and few companies or individuals continue\u00a0to give.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

People don\u2019t necessarily have the same preoccupations\u00a0today as they had the day after the\u00a0earthquake. Is the architecture required different\u00a0according to whether its in a disaster area or\u00a0not?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: The first thing that was called for was for\u00a0community centres to be built alongside the temporary\u00a0social housing. In the long run, this housing\u00a0will be demolished as the population starts to\u00a0build houses outside the city or move into new\u00a0public housing. Until then, people need somewhere\u00a0to meet together. And that is the aim of the community\u00a0centre. I hope to continue building these\u00a0community centres as long as I can. But now, I\u00a0believe the time has come for the local authorities\u00a0to take on this responsibility. We plan on building\u00a0one in Kamaishi, in Iwate Prefecture. The goal is\u00a0to create spaces (schools, public housing, individual\u00a0houses) that operate like the community centres,\u00a0to demonstrate how we can rethink public spaces.\u00a0Despite a few very interesting projects, the increase\u00a0in the cost of construction makes it impossible to\u00a0build them today. That\u2019s very sad.<\/p>\n

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Is it always that way?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: Yes, and not only in Tohoku. The whole\u00a0country is facing the same situation. Nearly all\u00a0the architectural projects with agreed budgets\u00a0still haven\u2019t been started. The cost of construction\u00a0has increased since the initial budget, multiplying\u00a0not just by ten or twenty per cent, but by fifty!\u00a0And sometimes, nobody even replies to the calls\u00a0for tenders. In my opinion, many workers have\u00a0been recruited, with offers of a high salary, to\u00a0build dykes against the tsunami, or to decontaminate\u00a0radioactivity. This kind of work is easier,\u00a0so now nobody is interested in more complex\u00a0building work anymore. And in addition to all of\u00a0this, there\u2019s a lack of cement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you have ideas to help this situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.:That\u2019s up to politicians, it\u2019s their role. From\u00a0the start, I said I didn\u2019t see the use in creating\u00a0dykes. But everything was concentrated on the\u00a0dykes\u2026 for political reasons.<\/p>\n

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Japanese architecture and architects are known\u00a0all around the world. Last year, you were awarded\u00a0the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and this year,\u00a0it was Ban Shigeru. How do you explain this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: Ban Shigeru was very active in disaster\u00a0areas both in Japan and the Philippines. He\u00a0was recognised for his perseverance during all\u00a0this work. But more than just recognising \u201carchitectural\u00a0expression\u201d, the implementation of\u00a0concrete examples were highlighted. Little by\u00a0little, the ideas we have about architecture have\u00a0been changing, and I think that\u2019s good. In the\u00a0context of the disaster that hit Japan, we need\u00a0more of these young architects who aren\u2019t just\u00a0satisfied with what they build in their heads,\u00a0but who are hands-on as well. That is why I\u00a0travel with them to disaster areas, in the hope\u00a0that they will become aware of the problem,\u00a0despite it not being an easy thing to do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the Ito Workshops, you host discussions\u00a0with very young architects\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: Yes, I find them very interesting because\u00a0they aren\u2019t that attracted to being \u201cdesigner architects\u201d.\u00a0They are more motivated by wanting\u00a0to collaborate on small-scale projects and remaining\u00a0in contact with people. And they are\u00a0much better at it than I am! That is why I\u00a0believe architecture is going to change a lot. I\u00a0really believe that we need to innovate rather\u00a0than just build something anew.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is that going to influence your own designs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: I prefer local projects to those in large\u00a0urban areas. In my opinion, since the earthquake,\u00a0it has been very important to rebuild at the\u00a0local level. I think I\u2019ve changed a lot because I\u00a0have been thinking of themes I hadn\u2019t really\u00a0taken into consideration until now. They imply\u00a0innovating projects for new cities, in ways I\u00a0hadn\u2019t imagined until now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Does this apply at the international level as\u00a0well?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.: Yes. Metropolises all look alike. In Europe,\u00a0cities like Paris or Brussels have their own particular\u00a0characteristics, but Asian cities are all similar.\u00a0Taipei and Singapore, two cities in which I work,\u00a0are very dynamic and more receptive to architectural
\nprojects than Tokyo is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is there a city in which you might like to build?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. T.:A city in which there is a human environment.\u00a0It would be a challenge outside Japan. I have just\u00a0come back from a month in India. It\u2019s difficult\u00a0getting around there, but I experienced something\u00a0very human there, where men, animals and nature\u00a0live symbiotically. In an ideal environment such\u00a0as that, I should be capable of constructing\u00a0buildings that emit a sense of vitality. I went to\u00a0see Le Corbusier\u2019s buildings, and I believe that\u00a0kind of environment also left an impression on\u00a0him. Towards the end of his life, for ten years, he\u00a0paid regular visits there. He drew a huge drawing\u00a0on the two-metre wide gate at the entrance of\u00a0the Chandigarh Palace of Assembly. It represents\u00a0the sun, the moon, the trees, the water; a constellation\u00a0of men, cows, birds and other kinds of animals.\u00a0He describes the impressions he had in\u00a0India, and it\u2019s beautiful. Without doubt, it is in\u00a0that kind of environment that an architect should\u00a0be building.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interview by Koga Ritsuko<\/p>\n

Photo:\u00a0C\u00e9lia Bonnin<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On his recent visit to Paris, the winner of the\u00a02013 Pritzker Architecture Prize returned\u00a0to the subject of his different projects.\u00a0Zoom Japon, our French sister publication,\u00a0made […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[12,10],"class_list":["post-313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","tag-culture","tag-interview"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2469,"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions\/2469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoomjapan.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}