Why designs should be fun and inspired by the community

British architect Mark Dytham teaches architecture in Japanese, not surprising since he has been living and working in Japan for the past 25 years.

In fact, in 2000, he received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) from the Queen for his services to British design in Japan.

In 2008, his firm Klein-Dytham Architecture was commended by the British Business Awards, receiving the prestigious Innovation Award.

But more importantly, he is playing a part in rebuilding the lives of the Japanese community who were affected by earthquakes in recent years.

One of it was the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which sparked off the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant radiation disaster.

His firm stepped in to build an indoor playground and community centre in Soma city under the Home for All non-profit organisation, set up by a few Japanese architects that include Toyo Ito, the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate.

Dytham is currently a board member of the organisation, along with his business partner Astrid Klein.

The centre, whose timber roof resembles a huge straw hat, won Best Building under the Culture category at the World Architecture Festival last year.

Mark Dytham, a British architect based in Tokyo, Japan and co-founder of Klein-Dytham Architecture, is active in post-disaster rebuilding work in Japan. Photo: The Star/Norafifi Ehsan

Dytham, who was in Kuala Lumpur last month as one of the speakers at the Datum Conference organised by Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia, explained about the design.

“The problem is the building is only 40km from the nuclear reaction site, so children aged zero to four from that area cannot play outside. What we immediately wanted to do was provide a covering and play space for them inside,” he shares.

“An indoor forest was the original concept. That’s why the columns are like trees and they support this big straw hat, which gives protection from the sun,” adds Dytham, who worked pro bono for the project, even running a marathon in Tokyo to raise money.

The interior space is circular, so the kids can run around, and forms a nice backdrop for theatre performances and other events. Owl designs are seen perched on branches within.

The timber used came from a timber factory nearby which glued pieces of wood together to make 20m-long laminated strips, dictating how big the building was. The project received a lot of materials for free, and Dytham worked around the materials.

“It’s really important to involve the community in the project. The process of building was part of healing the community,” says Dytham, adding that to date, Home For All has built 14 community centres in the region, which serve as a conducive hang out space for the people who are currently living in small, closely located units of temporary housing.

Currently, Home for All is also working with the Japanese government to build 51 community centres in the Kumamoto prefecture, where a big earthquake hit in April this year.

“What I would like to stress is the architect’s importance, not just about the design and construction but also how architects can be very powerful in a community situation and how we can do a lot more than just design buildings,” he emphasises.

As an architect, Dytham also believes designs should incorporate a level of “humour and playfulness”.

“I think we always remember good times and good memories, and I think more importantly, our architecture needs to be read by everybody, from a five-year-old to an 80-year-old, and should not be exclusive to people who know and read about architecture,” he explains.

“It’s good to bring a smile on people’s faces. I think architecture has gone too serious and I think this playful spirit and spirit of enjoyment is very important,” he adds.

The Narita airport toilets in Japan, which won the Toilet of the Year award recently, are fitted with luminous textile LED screens which project visuals like choreographed dance performances and other movements. Photo: Klein Dytham Architecture

One of the firm’s latest projects was designing the Narita International Airport toilets, which won the Toilet of the Year award given by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism recently.

The glass box cubicles incorporate a form of luminous textile LED screens which project silhouettes of people dancing and other visuals.

“On one side, it looks like you can see into the toilets (but you can’t, of course). It’s all done with low resolution LED behind fabric, so it feels like shoji paper screens. It’s about making toilets interesting and funny. People walk past and it catches their attention,” explains Dytham.

After graduating from the Royal College of Art, London over 20 years ago, Dytham felt that the city was too restrictive when it came to expressing creativity.

“But, in Japan, there was so much going on, and I felt that it was a really good time to go before being stuck in a big architecture office,” he recalls.

What was originally meant to be a three month visit turned into 25 years, having married and settled down in Tokyo with his Russian wife and two children now.

How would he describe the design scene in Japan today compared to 25 years ago?

“Unfortunately, it’s a little bit serious and a little more conservative than before. The bubble has burst, as you all know, so there is a reluctance and everyone’s more cautious, where everything is very much fund-driven.

“They are also changing the laws, introducing some planning restraints. For instance, you can’t use the colours like you used to. But it’s ok. The big issue is, 95% of the buildings are built by the big construction companies. Everything is beautifully built, but there is a bit of lack of spirit. We hope that’s changing, coming up to the 2020 Olympics. We are excited about that and we can feel the energy already,” enthuses the founder of PechaKucha, pronounced puh-chak-cha, which are simple presentations about any topic delivered in 20 slides within 20 seconds.

Another project by Dytham’s firm involves a bookstore chain called Tsutaya and serves as a good example of creating a vibrant community space.

The owners felt that the bookstores were like a community hub for villages and towns that didn’t have very much back in the early days, and wanted to bring this culture back to these stores.

The 10,000sqm Tsutaya bookstore in Daikanyama, Tokyo is a glass reinforced concrete complex that plays with the letter “T” thoughout the design, including the entrance and surrounding latticed facade. It serves as a third space in the community. Photo: Klein Dytham Architecture

For the 10,000sqm glass reinforced concrete store in Daikanyama, Tokyo, Dytham and his team played with the letter “T” thoughout the design, including the entrance and surrounding latticed facade.

A magazine street connects the three buildings that make up the entire store and helps customers navigate through the bookstore, which is open from 7am to 2am daily.

There are a few book readings a day, and in the weekends, the carpark acts as a gathering space for different car enthusiasts.

“I think our bookstore project will basically change the way people look at books. The bookstore has become this third space in community where people go and hang out, read, or select curated selection of movies. Especially in mega cities like Tokyo, people don’t want to go back to their tiny apartments all the time,” he shares.

Dytham stresses that without community, architecture is not complete.

“Good architecture is inspired by communities but it is also communities who make the buildings live. So it’s a very important role for an architect to inspire these things. Even in an office lobby, it’s really important how to bring the community there, make it a part of the town, and not just be this empty retail space.”

Moving forward, Dytham hopes to continue contributing his experience in post-disaster rebuilding projects.

“There is still a lot of work to be done. I think what’s interesting is that we are building a lot of knowledge for disaster relief. Pooling our knowledge on that is interesting,” he says.

Source : Star2.com