Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen and MINI World Tour: in this movie Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto discusses his philosophy of designing structures that are “in between” opposing concepts such as nature and architecture, and says the approach could work just as well on a skyscraper as a small private house.

“Nature and architecture are fundamental themes [of my work],” says Fujimoto, speaking to Dezeen after giving his keynote speech at this year’s World Architecture Festival.

“I like to find something in between. Not only nature and architecture but also inside and outside. Every kind of definition has an in-between space. Especially if the definitions are two opposites, then the in-between space is more rich.”

Fujimoto gives his recently completed Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London as an example of his philosophy, in which he used a series of geometric lattices to create a cloud-like structure.

“In various meanings it is in between things,” he says of the project. “It’s made by a grid, but the shape is very soft and complex. The experience is half nature and half super-artificial.”

Fujimoto then goes on to discuss Final Wooden House in Japan, in which chunky timber beams form the walls, floors and roof of the house, as well as the furniture and stairs inside.

“It’s a beautiful integration of the architectural elements in various different levels,” says Fujimoto. “The wooden blocks could be the floor or the furniture or the walls, so in that house every definition is melding together.”

Finally, Fujimoto discusses House NA in Tokyo, which consists of several staggered platforms and hardly has any walls.

“It is not like a house but more like a soft territory, something beyond a house,” he says. “The client is a young couple and they are really enjoying their life in that house.”

Fujimoto believes his approach can be scaled up to larger projects

“The concept of creating something in-between is not only for the smaller scale,” he says. “I think it could be developed more, for example [up to] skyscraper scale.”

“The high-rise building and landscaping are opposite, but maybe it could be a nice challenge to find something between skyscrapers and landscaping. I like to expand my way of thinking to explore pioneering or hidden places in the architectural field.”

We drove around Singapore in our MINI Cooper S Paceman. The music in the movie is a track called Itsu by Man Oeuvre.

You can listen to more music by Man Oeuvre on Dezeen Music Project and watch more of our Dezeen and MINI World Tour movies here.

The post “Every kind of architectural definition
has an in-between space” – Sou Fujimoto appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen and MINI World Tour: in our first video report from Singapore, Colin Seah of local architecture studio Ministry of Design tells us how the recent cultural shift away from mass-market shops and restaurants is helping transform attitudes towards design in the city. 

“Singapore was known as a clean and green city,” says Seah. “Clean almost to the point of being boring.”

“There seemed to be a saturation of mass-market experiences. But from 2000 to 2005, things started to rapidly open up. Singapore now is a lot more exciting.”

Seah claims that many Singaporeans are choosing to stay away from established chains, preferring to spend their money in more boutique shops and restaurants.

In the movie he takes us to two recently rejuvenated parts of the city where independent retailers and food outlets are flourishing.

The first is Dempsey Hill, a former British colonial army barracks to the west of the city centre, which now hosts a wide range of independent restaurants and cafes.

“It was the first major adaptive reuse project in Singapore, where a building that was once governmental or institutional was given back to the market,” says Seah. “That shift has taken root and you see more districts now being reclaimed this way.”

Closer to the city centre is Haji Lane, a narrow street lined with two-storey shophouses in the Arab quarter of the city, in sharp contrast to the towering skyscrapers of the nearby financial district that Singapore is more famous for.

“Along Haji Lane you’ll find maybe 30 independent boutiques,” says Seah. “Just a great amount of variety without having to see a brand that you would find also in California or the UK.”

One of the first boutique hotels in Singapore was designed by Seah’s studio, Ministry of Design. Called New Majestic Hotel, it comprises four converted shophouse tucked away down a quiet street in Singapore’s Chinatown.

Seah believes that the recent demand for hotels like New Majestic Hotel provides an important source of work for designers in the city.

“Without this increased level of curiosity and diversity, firms like ours would not really be able to exist,” he says. “There would just be no market for the work that we do.”

He also believes that the cultural shift is encouraging more young people to study architecture and design.

“Because of the need for more firms to provide work of this nature, I think young people feel that it’s less of a risk to enter the design field,” he says.

“In Singapore, most of our parents want us to be accountants or lawyers or doctors. [To be an] architect is a bit dodgy and [if you study] interior design or art, you’re a lost cause. But not any more.”

Singapore’s government is also starting to take design seriously, Seah says. In 2008 it established SOTA (School of the Arts), which offers an arts and design-based curriculum for 13 to 18 year olds.

Private art schools have also emerged, such as Lasalle College of the Arts, designed by Singapore practice RSP Architects.

“Schools like SOTA are not just great physical examples of architecture,” Seah concludes. “They are also symbols of where Singapore is headed in terms of culture, in terms of design.”

We are in Singapore for World Architecture Festival and Inside Festival, and will be publishing interviews with some of the key speakers in the coming weeks.

See all our coverage of World Architecture Festival 2013 »

We drove around Singapore in our MINI Cooper S Paceman. The music in the movie is a track called Feeling Beast by Man Oeuvre. You can listen to more music by Man Oeuvre on Dezeen Music Project.

Watch all our Dezeen and MINI World Tour movies »

The post “Most of our parents wanted us to be
lawyers or doctors. Not anymore.” appeared first on Dezeen.