The Wisdom Tea House

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http://www.domusweb.it/en/interviews/2013/01/14/the-wisdom-tea-house.html

Alvaro Sizarenovated the building that marked the beginning of his career

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Author

Rafael A. Balboa, Ilze Paklone

Photography

Koji Fujii, Nacsa&Partners Inc.

Published

14 January 2013

Location

Tokyo

Sections

Interviews

Keywords

Associates, Concrete, Fukushima, Kamo no

Chomei, Kengo Kuma, Kengo Kuma &, Kenzo

Tange, Metabolism, natural disaster, Pavilion,

Reconstruction , tea house, temporary

installation, traditional materials, United

Nations Univers ity Headquarters, wisdom tea

house, Wood, World War II

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The Wisdom Tea HouseIn front of Kenzo Tange's prominent United Nations University Headquarters,

Kengo Kuma & Associates design a series of small pavilions, reinterpreting Japanese

wooden construction while resonating with the democratic spirit of Tange's

creation.

Interviews / Rafael A. Balboa, Ilze Paklone
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Not very often we can witness such a singular rendezvous

between two Japanese master architects from disparate historical

moments as Kenzo Tangeand Kengo Kuma, whose

understanding of their own culture and tradition has marked

significant swerves in architectural discourse. Since ancient

times, Japan has learned from the extensive use of wood as thebase material for its everyday constructions. Only after the end of

the 19th century, with the Meiji restoration, did the introduction

of reinforced concrete cause the decline in use of wood. Kenzo

Tange became an emblematic figure during his years of apogee in

the 1960s through the end of his career by developing

sophisticated concrete structures for large scale buildings. More

recently, Kengo Kuma has set a counter discourse by re-

evaluating the wisdom of craftsmanship and the use of diverse

materials, including wood, in several scales and formats.

The encounter we are referring to takes place in the prominent

United Nations University Headquarters, designed by Kenzo

Tange in 1992. The building sets back from the busy Aoyama

street in central Tokyo, to open a plaza which acts as a good

paradigm of public space within the city, used during weekends

as a farmer's market. From mid-November the plaza has also

become the temporary host of a series of small pavilions

designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, with the intriguing nameof Wisdom Tea House. The installation introduces a

reinterpretation of Japanese wooden construction and also

resonates with the democratic spirit that Tange once envisioned

for his creation.

The idea of Tea Houses is recurrent in Kuma's most recent

projects. In general, its origins can be tracked in Kamo no

Chomei'sHojoki["An account of My Hut"], which professed

individual renunciation of the world and reclusion in a small hutas a result of several disasters that took place in Japan during the

13th century. From Kuma's several studies on what he labels

"contemporary tea houses", however, it becomes clear that his

interpretation is not about individual isolation, but the tea house

has become a social mechanism of connection in recent moments

of disaster. The wisdom behind Tange and Kuma might lie in the

correct use of materials and their introduction in the right

historical moment. Ultimately, Kuma is restating today a cycle of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamo_no_Ch%C5%8Dmeihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Restorationhttp://kkaa.co.jp/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenzo_Tange


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ancient knowledge, which was interrupted in the last fifty years

by unquestioned belief in technological advancements.

Top and above: Kengo Kuma & Associates, Wisdom Tea House, United Nations Univers ity Centre, Shibuya, Tokyo, 2012

The architecture of the Wisdom Tea Houseis broken down

into four smaller units, comprising an ascending tower and three

lower tea pavilions. The wooden tower, the key element of the

installation, has been constructed employing a refined technique

of vertically and obliquely weaving thin rectangular wooden

poles into an open spatial lattice. These poles, each 3 metre-long

and 10 x 10 cm in their cross section, are interlocked through

particular notches into an ascending 10 metre-high structure.Two subsequent tea pavilions have been erected by connecting

wooden poles into a framework of rafters and battens, covered by

sheets of translucent waterproof material (Tyvek). The spatial

conception of the Wisdom Tea Househas been designed to fit

human scale and to trigger interaction with the public, which will

take place through specific design events.


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Kengo Kuma & Associates, Wisdom Tea House

United Nations University Centre, Shibuya, Tok

2012

Rafael Balboa, Ilze Paklone: When you knew you weregoing to have this installation, provocatively titled Wisdom

Tea House, in front of a building of Kenzo Tange, did you

think about a dialogue between your work and Tange's

building? What is the concept behind your idea of

"contemporary tea house" in our present context?

Kengo Kuma:Tange represents the era after the Second World

War. We call him "champion of the 1st generation architects".

Fumihiko Makiand Kisho Kurokawaare the 2nd generation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisho_Kurokawahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumihiko_Maki


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Tadao Andoand Toyo Itoare the 3rd generation. With Kazuyo

Sejima, we are the 4th generation. Tange's response to an almost

destroyed city after the war was to create strong and beautiful

concrete monuments. Indeed, it was something fundamentally

necessary after the war. The March 2011 Earthquaketaught us

an important lesson: concrete buildingsare not strong enough

when faced with nature's strength. Thus, I think, our role is to

find a solution to the city, which is remarkably different from

Tange's.

The wisdom of Japanese tradition determines the selection of the

building's location carefully, based on the knowledge of older

people. Before, the Japanese never built close to the ocean in

tsunami areas, as the ancestors had told them the danger of these

places. This is wisdom of our society. Before WWII we had this

kind of wisdom, but we lost it. After the war, industrialization

gave us a different knowledge, of strong concrete structures that

can be built anywhere in the world. Therefore the location of the

Wisdom Tea Houseis very important as it is sits precisely in front

of Kenzo Tange's building. This project seeks from this project is

to define the wisdom of Japanese tradition and advocate a

different kind of strength.

I would like to show a new kind of monumentality as well.

Concrete and steel construction technology were introduced in

Japan by the Western countries. Traditionally, the Japanese value

sensibility to textures and materials of natural sources. I believe

that in this way we still can create a monumental building. This

kind of monumentality is different from Tange's, as it is softer

and milder, broken down to smaller parts. Even composing from

small, thin elements, we can create strength. This is another

lesson from our monument.

Concrete, on the other hand, allow us to forget the

limits and we can misunderstand the sense of scale.

We think that we can do anything. Concrete makes

us arrogant; wood makes us humble as designers.

This is a big difference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunamihttp://www.sanaa.co.jp/http://www.toyo-ito.co.jp/WWW/index/index_en.htmlhttp://www.tadao-ando.com/index_eng.html


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Kengo Kuma & Associates, Wisdom Tea House, United Nations Univers ity Centre, Shibuya, Tokyo, 2012

In your latest works we have seen inspiration of

traditional wooden construction systems coming from

everyday instruments, such as children's toys (specifically

one named Chidori). Comparing those ideas with this tea

house, what are the differences in terms of material

performance?

Wisdom Tea House is a structural evolution from two previous

projects the Prostho Museum Research Centre in Kasugai and

the Starbucks Coffee in Dazaifu-Tenmangu. The difference from

those two is the joint system we use in this installation. For the

Starbucks Coffee project we used a very special joint (wooden

poles assembled diagonally, slightly shifting intersections to

avoid four sticks to connect at one point). The Chidorijoint (three

poles intersect at one point by making special notches in the


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wood) is aesthetically beautiful; but structurally, it is not a

rational system. The Chidorijoint is tricky and very difficult to

assemble. Probably, only a very limited number of carpenters can

deal with it.

The joint system of the Wisdom Tea Houseis very simple and

conventional. Only two elements are connected together at one

point. Structurally, it is more reasonable. Before WWII, every

Japanese carpenter was using this kind of joint. The system of the

Wisdom Tea Housecan be called an open one. Even today, every

Japanese carpenter with a little training can do this kind of joint

and monument. I want to open this system to everybody again.


Somehow, this brings back the wisdom that was

already there by reinterpreting it. While Tange was making

big plans for the city, Hiroshi Hara, one of the masters who

nourished your knowledge during your architectural

formation, was making small insertions in the city. How do

you see the work of Tange from your contemporary-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_Hara_(architect)


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traditional approach?

Tange understood the importance of Japanese tradition. For

some buildings, as the Kagawa Prefectural Government Hall, he

used a composition of two kinds of elements, vertical and

horizontal, based on the traditional Japanese wooden

construction system. However, the dimensions of this concrete

structure do not fit the scale of the human body comfortably.

Hiroshi Hara, on the contrary, wanted to go back to the small

scale. Hara taught me the importance of smallness. However, he

was not interested in using a traditional system of wooden

elements. This is a difference between Hara and me. Tange, Hara

and I have had some kind of progression in our approaches of

going back to wisdom.


Speaking about constraints of the material, somehow

wood has more limitations than concrete. What is the limit

you would like to stretch it to? I think that limit of the material

is a good feature of the wood. For this project the maximum

length of an element is three metres. It is a natural limit of the


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material itself, present in most of Japanese wooden houses even

today. In the Horyu-ji period (8th and 9th century) it was

possible to find larger wooden materials easily. Already in the

Edo era, during the 17th to 18th century, the length of the

material was limited to three metres.

The 3 metre limit restrains the dimensions of the building

ceiling height and spanning. It is a natural modular

coordination, fitting the scale of the human body. Concrete, on

the other hand, allow us to forget the limits and we can

misunderstand the sense of scale. We think that we can do

anything. Concrete makes us arrogant; wood makes us humble as

designers. This is a big difference.


WhenKamo no Chomeirecounted a series of calamities

that had happened to the country, he was writing about

renouncing the world as the reaction. At this moment in


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history we have another Japan, shaken again by disasters.

How do you intend to react with your work to the events of

today?

I would like to revigorate the network of people by using local

and natural materials. In the 20th century every material came

from factories in Tokyo. Concrete, as a material, came from

Tokyo. Somehow we have forgotten that the north area of

Tohoku is rich in forests. We have abandoned this resource, thus

the conditions of forests have worsened. The use of local wooden

materials in construction can contribute to the reactivation of the

small economies and also to recover the conditions of the forests.

This is another lesson from this project, to connect architecture

and people.

Regarding the program of this project as a public space, you

have divided it into three interdependent elements; there is

a "monument", a place for activities, and finally an area for

services. What brought you to design under such strategy?

To divide a building in parts is very important. In the 20th

century we tended to make a building as big as possible. In the

21st century small sub-elements work together, creating some

kind of flexible and comfortable network for us. It is the ideal

solution for a building of the 21st century.

Kengo Kuma & Associates: Wisdom Tea House

Design:Kengo Kuma & Associates

Location:United Nations University Centre, Shibuya, Tokyo

Structure:Wooden construction

Main use:Temporary installation

Completion date:November 2012

The authors would like to thank architect Kengo Kuma for his

generous time for the interview, and Shin Ohba and Kai Araki from

Kengo Kuma & Associates for providing the necessary materials andinformation. Special thanks goes to Salvator John A. Liotta for his

kind support.


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Author

Rafael A. Balboa, Ilze Paklone

Photography

Koji Fujii, Nacsa&Partners Inc.

Sections

Interviews

Keywords

Associates, Concrete, Fukushima, Kamo no

Chomei, Kengo Kuma, Kengo Kuma &, Kenzo

Tange, Metabolism, natural disaster, Pavilion,

Reconstruction , tea house, temporary

installation, traditional materials, UnitedNations Univers ity Headquarters, wisdom tea

house, Wood, World War II

Location

Tokyo

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