It was interesting in how all the projects in this week’s reading had a strong connection with nature – this seems like a very typical characteristic of Japanese architecture.  I especially found it interesting, in the Kasahara Elementary school, the children are highly exposed to the surrounding environment and are not walled in like some of our American schools.  They are in constant interaction with nature, even if it is just walking to class.

If you have native Japanese freinds they will tell you what their proper names mean.  The names usually relate to an aspect of nature; trees, the sea, etc. Therefore, it does not seem surprising that they name architecture spaces/places related to nature.  Would you use ‘aimai moko’ and ‘jiku’ in your current design studio projects?

I looked up the definition of ‘aimai moku’ and it means ‘to obscure, vague, ambiguous, hazy.’  The way i see aimai moku was used in these projects was that the architects did their best to blend their buildings into their surrounding environments.  With the case of the Nakijin Community center, they blended the experience of going outdoor and indoor seamlessly.  With the Nago City Hall, they blended the character of the building with the surrounding older buildings.  I would hope to use this technique in most of my projects where I can blend my design to enhance the existing characteristics of a community.

I looked up ‘jiku’ and it means ‘the center of’ or ‘primary concentration of.’  the author explains how the Kasahara Elementary School is a smaller city within the larger city, integrating itself within the larger context, and yet it is unique in the sense that it is where you go for school.  it is a center for education within the larger city.

The projects in Okinawa reflect concrete block which they have perfected from the materials at hand.  Would you use block in your projects?

It seems that they had perfected the technology of using concrete block and it is a common material to use for the region.  I don’t see concrete blocks used here in the Northwest as often because of the cold climate and wet weather.  It seems like here, it is used more for structural purposes and not exposed for aesthetics like in the Nakijin Community Center and Nago City Hall.  If it was relevant and if the design calls for it, i would use it in my projects.