Friday, January 19, 2007


TOKYO SKETCH-BOOK
sketchーⅢ

May,2oo4. Golden-Week vacation ! Just got relief to take breath !!So,one sunny bright late Spring morn' wanted to hang out with my new city !! DESTINATION=Tokyo Int'l Forum,the one and only renowned work of Rafael Vinolly.I had never heard anything about this Uruguayan Architect before I attened Hatano sensei's "Contemporary Architecture" lectures.Anyway,after a long 1:30 hour Chuo-trip I could reach there(including my lost-time for track hunting!!!) And just after a while I forgot everything and got myself sunk into the magic world of those green terrace,boat-shaped gigantic atrium and the concert halls.It's better not to talk about my first impression about the work,cause there's a mere possibility to be get out of it!!Let me talk about the back ground of the competition which gave Vinolly the opportunity to be famous and the events that often take place in any of the small corners of the tremendously massive Forum bldn.
The Competition:Rafael Viñoly Architects won the 1989 International Design Competition, the first international architectural competition in Japan, held by the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA).
Location:The Tokyo International Forum, Japan's largest congress center, is situated on the boundary between Marunouchi, Tokyo's central business area and the Ginza shopping and entertainment district. The tracks of Japan Railways, the city's principal system of transportation, bounds the eastern elevation with two of the most heavily used train stations, Tokyo and Yarakucho stations, located to the north and south.
Facilities:The International Forum includes two theaters, one among the largest in the world, over 6,000 square meters of exhibition space, several conference rooms, restaurants, shops and other amenities.
A series of civic functions; a library, mediatech, restaurants, cafes, shops, an art gallery, and a 24-hour multi-media theater provide the activities that give the space its public character. In addition, the space is activated by the theater lobbies that overlook the Plaza at second floor level.
Under the Plaza a Concourse connects the public to local and regional rail networks. Containing a food court with shopping, continuing education facilities and an International Exchange Salon, the circulation of the Concourse wraps around a central Exhibition Hall and becomes itself the main floor of the Glass Hall.
VOICE OF THE ARCHITECT:"In Japan, the major obstacle to acceptance is to demonstrate commitment. It seems difficult for us nowadays to be committed for the long haul. I moved to Japan and took most of my office along. Together with those hired in Tokyo, we had 250 people from our office on site together with 800 engineers."
...........Rafael Viñoly .

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