DESIGNWORKS Vol.10

10/36

Special IssueTakenaka Environmental Concept 2050 Architectural Design Competition"Considering conceptual models for an architecture of environmental coexistence" In an effort to further establish its reputation as "Takenaka, the Environmental Company," Takenaka Corporation is working to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 50% in standard buildings by 2050, and to make advanced buildings carbon-neutral. To achieve this long-term objective, Takenaka has begun the task of creating new concepts and taking specifi c action. In natural systems (ranging from local natural environments to climates and biodiversity), give-and-take between the new buildings that are created and nature will restore natural environments. In human systems (such as society, economy, and culture), these new buildings will induce sensibilities and creativity to create new lifestyles. Innovative technologies to decrease environmental load, both those that have been developed in-house and those that are introduced, will be applied in order to achieve this goal. Resource-recycling architectural production systems and the effective use of existing building as social stocks must also be actively promoted. In the search for this type of new environmental architecture, an in-house competition was held to develop an architecture to serve as a conceptual model for the environment of 2050. A public review was conducted by outside experts, and a symposium on next-generation architectures of environmental coexistence was also held in connection with the competition. This competition was held to solicit proposals for a conceptual model for an architecture of environmental coexistence – the equivalent of a "concept car" in the automobile world. The theme of the competition was "Next-generation Architecture that Considers Relationships Between People and with Nature." Teams that went beyond the boundaries of design, construction and other departments were formed, and 43 works were submitted from both main and branch offi ces. For the 17 works that passed the initial screening, a public review was held on July 2, 2009. The 2nd fl oor auditorium in Takenaka's Tokyo main offi ce served as the principal venue, with the seven branch offi ces and Takenaka Thailand linked by means of teleconferencing. There was a participant near by 600 people, that a lively discussion was held between the individual presenters and the fi ve members of the review committee: Professor Yuichiro Kodama, Professor Takaharu Kawase, Professor Toru Mitani and Takenaka Vice Presidents Watanabe and Hattori.Overall Assessment Yuichiro Kodama Chairman, Review CommitteeGlobal Environmental Issues in Architecture In 2000, architectural institutes and industry groups in Japan jointly established the Architectural Charter for a Global Environment. Subsequently, even during the practical debate on how Japan should achieve its commitments under the COP 3 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Kyoto Protocol), the international sense of crisis regarding the global environment continued to grow, and load reduction targets have grown higher and higher. The newly inaugurated Japanese government received high praise internationally when it announced a reduction target of 25% of 1990 levels by 2020. As always, while it was not happy with the high target, industry also appears to have begun to seek specifi c measures to deal with the situation. Past experience and achievements show that if action is to be taken, it should be initiated quickly, and that such action may also help boost the economy. Once again, a fierce high-level struggle has begun in an effort to seize the initiative. As efforts to deal with global environmental issues in architecture include a technical response, major design studios and large general contractors have taken the lead. Possibly because of the involvement of technology, another aspect is that, in the architectural world, global environmental issues have not been considered to be design issues. Design has had both organizational and technological support, but it also tends to require both high accuracy and refi nement. In some cases, designs are criticized as being technically advanced and offering high performance as a building but lacking in the strength, freshness and passion that a work of architecture should possess. In addition, global environmental issues themselves are sometimes spoken of cynically as being issues of political correctness. However, this is extremely unfortunate. Of course it would be out of the question for ugly architecture to go unchallenged simply because it touts energy and resource conservation as a selling point. But reduced environmental load that is achieved through lower energy and resource and of eliciting activity in the streets, and of a design that helps to improve the cityscape as well as helping to achieve indoor climate control, is most interesting. Some were not happy with the narrowing of the sidewalks, but it may be possible to provide these with a public nature like that of a covered alley. There were also many appealing proposals in the area of existing building stocks. These proposals involved using high-function members and state-of-the-art structural technologies and facade technologies to demolish or add to existing buildings and provide stimulation to the interior space, while at the same time reducing energy consumption. Looking back on it, it seems surprising that one of these proposals did not receive an award. For now, let me simply note that there were some outstanding proposals in this area. Creating passive designs that make use of natural light and breezes and integrating such designs with highly effi cient equipment technologies will be an essential perspective for achieving a sustainable architecture in the future. This will require a determination of the natural and cultural characteristics of the local area and discovering the potential of the environment. "Aqua Dominoes" is a proposal that was recognized in terms of this basic approach, taking lessons from the architectural ideas in the Bangkok vernacular with the intent of achieving a non-air-conditioned resort office in the tropics. Air conditioning technologies have spread rapidly throughout Southeast Asia and people are attentive to the need to improve the insulation of indoor areas from the outside in order to reduce energy consumption, and so in the future there will be a great need for the development of designs and technologies like those evident in this proposal. This is an area in which Japan's state-of-the-art expertise can undoubtedly be put to good use. The grand prize winner, "Local Energy Station," was evaluated from a slightly different perspective. Although there were proposals with state-of-the-art materials and technologies, I believe this proposal was recognized for having a conceptual scale that could not be confi ned to such measures.Some aspects of 2050 cannot be predicted based on current trends. For these aspects, the kind of city and architecture that will be needed and what kind of lifestyles and comfort we will seek are major questions. I think the answers can be found in this proposal. Compared to cities, it is more difficult to picture what the agricultural community of the future will look like, but it is for this reason that proposals for such communities are needed. Whether or not it was because of the success of this strategy, every one of the judges voted for this proposal. The opinion was even expressed that it could be ranked as a new field for construction as an integrated industry. The term "sustainability" is sometimes overlaid with a backward-looking sense of maintaining current paradigms and performance while reducing energy and resource consumption. However, restricting the consumption of energy and resources conversely evokes and creates images of a new type of architecture and city. Evidence for this was provided by the many fl edgling ideas that were proposed in the Takenaka Environmental Concept 2050 Architectural Design Competition. It was an excellent opportunity for both designers and engineers to share the positive signifi cance of sustainability.consumption must be thought of as an essential requirement for all buildings in the future. And it is understood saying that it would be desirable for the design to be attractive as well. I tend to believe that this will make it possible to create works of architecture that offer even greater beauty, passion, comfort and appeal. There are ample grounds for this belief. Several of the works of Renzo Piano are excellent examples. In 1993, Piano established the Renewable Energy and Architecture and Urban Design (READ) group together with Richard Rogers, Norman Foster and others.What should be the Goals of Environmentally Friendly Architecture? Takenaka Corporation was quick to initiate efforts to deal with global environmental issues. The company has an established reputation for emphasizing design as its corporate creed, and it has created many buildings that have received high praise for their sustainable design. So I am sure that I am not the only person who was excited when Takenaka announced that it would hold an in-house environmental concept design competition. I was eager to see how the designers would balance technical refi nement with innovative design, and what new horizons would be opened with the global environment as a watchword. The competition attracted many entries, some of them from overseas. The secondary screening was an open review of the entries that had passed the fi erce competition of the initial screening, with venues in regional areas linked via teleconferencing. The enthusiastic presentations and question-and-answer periods lasted for a full day. I would have liked to see presentations for many of the proposals that did not make it to the secondary screening. Although I understand that the time was limited, I think it is too bad that there was not an opportunity to do so. In this competition, applicants had to create a conceptual model for the environmentally friendly architecture of 2050. The structure had to achieve major reductions in environmental load, and for this purpose revolutionary energy technologies and resource recycling technologies had to be developed. One of the high points was seeing what technologies the designers thought would support architecture in the year 2050. In these designs, new materials and new technologies served as a catalyst for creating new spatial environments. In WATER X, a super-material known as bionanofiber becomes both the structure and the outer layer. A material as sturdy as this enables spatial environments to be created freely, and it also allows both light and breezes to enter. In this proposal, water circulates naturally within this material, which functions like capillaries, and it passively regulates the indoor climate and environment of the structure. The water that plays such a crucial role in this design is the natural potential of the region (Osaka, the "Water Metropolis"), and so the proposal was also considered to be one that makes excellent use of regional characteristics. The "Penetration Cube" is also based on a renewable material, glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP). The free frame and the outer surface that is released from the structure make it possible to create a relationship in both exterior and interior are responsive to one another and breathe nature. The emphasis on the quality of the interior environment as perceived by human beings is also good. "Biomimetic Factory" employs the myriad characteristics of carbon nanofi bers in a more direct manner. This design proposes to recycle a former coastal industrial zone. Here the structure itself serves as a tree and grove that use the sun and seawater to conduct photosynthesis. If not for the restrictions on the use of large spaces, this design could be provided with even greater signifi cance in terms of urban planning or national land use planning. In "Un-wrapped City," a building to be dismantled is cut into blocks and reassembled in the shape of a dome. This is a proposal that focuses on production and directly reuses building wastes as a resource. How can we make the best use of existing cities and building stocks? This is the second crucial point. "A slim architecture of woods and people" is a proposal to create a buffer zone between the city street rich in greenery and the buildings facing the street, in order to stimulate the relationship between buildings and streets and between people and nature. The idea of proposing a variety of uses Yuichiro Kodama / Architect & doctor of engineering1946 Born in Akita Prefecture1969 Graduated Tokyo Institute of Technology (major in architecture)1976 Awarded Ph.D from Tokyo Institute of Technology1978 Held successive posts as Senior Researcher, Offi ce Manager and Department Manager of Building Research Institute, Ministry of Construction1998 Professor, Department of Environmental and Architectural Design, Kobe Design University President, Environmental Space Design and Technology (Estec Design Co., Ltd.)2000 Received Environment and Energy Saving Home Award from Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation (IBEC)2003 Received Environmental Architecture Award from The Japan Institute of Architects (JIA)2005 Received Good Design Award from Architectural Institute of Japan08Special Issue