Tod's Omotesando, 2005, by Toyo Ito & Associates
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Maison Hermes
Maison Hermes, Tokyo (1998-2001) by Renzo Piano is the corporate headquarters and retail store for Hermes Japan. The program includes offices, workshops, retail and exhibition spaces, multimedia areas and a roof garden. The building also includes access to the subway via a courtyard which divides the long facade in two.
It is an elegant glowing rectangular form which has been carefully crafted from specially designed 45cm x 45cm glass blocks which gives the impression of the building as a precious object containing equally precious objects
Renzo Piano stated that the building was inspired by traditional Japanese lanterns. The thickness of glass facade blurs the activity within during the day and at night the building glows from the light within whilst simultaneously providing acoustic insulation from the bustling Ginza streets outside. Clear glass boxes become display cases for Hermes products at street level.
Maison Hermes is the most elegant use of glass blocks I have ever seen.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Chikatsu-Asuka Historical Museum
The Chikatsu-Asuka Historical Museum (1994) designed by Tadao Ando.
This museum dedicated to the prehistoric kofun culture and specifically it's burial mounds, 200 of which are located in Osaka prefecture, formally and symbolically references the burial mounds themselves. The building is set amongst the beautiful natural environment of plum trees, ponds and walking paths throughout the surrounding hills which the building is integrated with through its stepped roof and concrete walls that follow the terrain and form small pockets into which the landscapes extends. Despite the museums size the building plays an intergral role in the landscape without being intrusive.
The building reinforces and reminds the visitor of the role of the museum and the burial mounds which are visible from selected vantage points on the building and from within the landscape without being contrived or overtly obvious. It is the subtle handling of the cultural significance of the building that enhances both the experience of the building and of the museum.
Friday, November 9, 2007
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