Architects play a primary role in creating new identities through their designs of infrastructures. They could either conform with universal trends which of course subtly destroys the uniqueness of the locality wherein a specific infrastructure is built. Of course, the impetus for those novel identities is not only due to the architects. The evolving taste of clients, developments in technology, and environmental issues each play a role. In this paper we explore the creation of identities through architecture and we analyze in text the Rokku Housing work, by Japanese Architect Tadao Ando.
There exists however a problem in the creation of identities. Nowadays, because of increasing globalization avant-garde designs that almost ignore the local culture wherein the design is to be constructed renders the work of architects to be meaningless. The design seems to be at loss even if it is placed somewhere specific in the globe. Some architects therefore worried that their work lacks an identity despite the fact they ought to contribute to the creation of new ones. Although the structures of their avant-garde work are different from anothers work, its very identity is no less different than the other because the very basis of its design is based on the other. For instance, when an architect works he needs to be inspired so he takes a look at pictures of existing designs. So the architect merely modifies the design, wherever place in the world he or she is. The work lacks a firm identity, although it has an identity because it does not consider the locality wherein it is to be constructed (Patterson).
To clarify things, let us take the case of a young boy who dreams to be a physicist. Obviously he is still unique in the very sense of the word. He has his own parents. He was born in the Philippines, a third-world country for instance. He looks up to Richard Feynman a famous physicist. To be good at problem solving he copies his style of just playing around with Physics and enjoying it. He reads biographies and copies almost everything Feynman did to be good in Physics. The problem here is that he fails to realize that he can never be Feynman. First of all, he is not American. He can play around but not all the time as in his country, the results of his work in Physics should have at most times important social impact. He will always be unique. Although he has an identity, it is blurred because he wants to be someone else in a great degree. There is no problem in finding inspiration in someone else, but forgetting your roots, who you are and the uniquess of your structured reality can be a danger to your identity. Analogously, the trend in avant-garde architecture ignores the uniqueness of the locality wherein the infrastructure to be built. The design looks at other designs and tries to be a modification of other designs. There is an identity but it is blurred.
Now, the architects role in creating new identities is in danger. Framptons Critical Regionalism offers a resistance against this blurring of identities. His six points attempt to give significance and meaning to modern designs. In light of Framptons points, let us analyze the Rokko Housing designed by Japanese Architect Tadao Ando.
The Housing, is situated on a 60 sloping land on the edge of the Rokko Mountains in the city of Kobe. Apparently, the landscape was a challenge to both the designer and constructors alike. Its design principle is hinged on opening the possibility for a new kind of collective housing. The design seeks to awaken a sense of identification among its residents. Just like typical Japanese infrastructures, the harmony-with-nature principle is incorporated into the design. It emphasizes on interaction and encountering. The alley spaces and public terraces where residents encounter were created for the purpose of creating a variegated relationship between public and private (Case Studies).
One of the most interesting aspects of the design is that the project is built into the landscape. The design was fitted into the landscape rather than landscape being fit into the design. The common practice at the time when it was built was the erasure of the whole terrain and natural features, or building over stilt structure such as in many cases in Hong Kong. Such an attempt not only demonstrated the building design being integrated with the natural landscape, but also achieved a design variety. However, it is important to note that there was still and extensive cutting and fill works involved in the process (Case Studies).
There is great difficulty in distinguishing the own from the foreign in architecture. Architect Bruce Goff (1968), said that nothing in art is strictly and completely original with its creator. An architect therefore can be inspired by many things in his past and present. Sometimes he imitates and then makes some modifications. Despite the difficulty, it would be beneficial to identify the patterns and criteria that will help in distinguishing the own from the foreign in architecture. This is important for the architectural work to have its own identity.
To start, we can take a look at the context where the design is intended to be built. We can take a look at the exterior and interior of the building and which design elements or themes are in a greater degree local or foreign. Other than taking into consideration the culture, the terrain, climate, and the tectonic of the site should be examined (Patterson).
Minimalism and the intermingling with nature has always been a part of Japanese architecture. This minimalism and inclusion of nature is very evident in Andos Rokku Housing. There were design elements and themes that were included in order to satisfy plausible customer whims and these elements and themes are universal in nature. That means that those elements are very well-known in the field of architecture. For instance, there is an interplay of solid and void. There is an alternating pattern of open and closed and there is a contrast between light and darkness. Andos work, achieved openness while at the same time maintained the privacy of its dwellers.
Aside from the visible designs, we should also take into consideration the nature of the materials used, the methods, and the principles behind the design. In Rokku III, another element is introduced in the construction. It is prefabrication. This low-cost construction technique is implemented to maintain quality and efficiency. It is a universal aim in architecture we do not exactly know the origins of such an aim. Waste was also minimized. This minimization of waste is not exclusively Japanese.
As seen in the previous paragraphs, what is foreign is usually universal in nature.
When looking at buildings, houses and other infrastructures onlookers usually attach identities at what they are viewing. By merely looking at the materials, colors, geometries in the architecture one can tell apart which is Asian or Western. If they are familiar with both Japanese and Chinese cultures, one can identify which is Chinese and which is not. For instance, the Chinese are more elaborate in their designs whilst Japanese are minimalists. The Chinese also like to incorporate the dragon theme in their designs. Indian or Buddhist temples are distinguishable too from the others because of religious figures and geometries associated with their designs. Thus identity is created through association with unique specifics. The avant-garde movement, as mentioned earlier subtly destroys this identity as they veer away from regional norms to universal ones that blur their distinction from one another.
An amateur architect or a mere architecture enthusiast, can easily mistake Tadao Andos work for the work of other architects such as Santiago Calatrava and I.M. Pei. To an uneducateds eye, their works seem similar. They veer away from traditional designs to go to more daring geometries. They also use a lot of glass to let light in. Sometimes they use approximately paralleliped structures in their works. They look modern.
If we take a look at for instance the Museum of Islamic Art designed by I.M. Pei, one cannot immediately say that this is situated in Qatar and that it is Muslim without knowing the name of the building. That happens unless the onlooker is familiar with Islamic Architecture. Some elements of Islamic Style seen in the museum are the arcs, the use of repetitive geometric shapes and the use of bright color in the walls of the infrastructure. Similarly, looking at Andos design will not make one think immediately that the Rokku Housing is Japanese because many modern infrastructures have incorporated minimalism in their designs. The minimalism in the design however gives a clue that it is Japanese. Also, the attempt to create space that intermingles with nature is a plus factor that can direct someone to conclude that the design is Japanese. Identity however, is not just about telling which is European, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indonesian, American or Japanese. Just like any native, like a Japanese native, we say more specific characteristics of that personbuilding.
The housing was made to conform with the topography of the site and not the other way around. Thus we know that the housing is on the Rokku mountains with a 60-degree slope. The inclusion of wide spaces gives a feeling of openness in the design whilst maintaining the privacy of the individual units.
Some further note to make is this some enthusiasts say that Japan is a land of contradiction. Despite the minimalism they employ we can still see complexity in the Rokku housing. The repeating patterns of terraces, balconies, atriums and shafts give the design its complexity. It is difficult to create such patterns and still arrive at a certain sense of symmetry.
In philosophy it is said that the identity of a person does not just lie in what is seen. Analogously in a design, not all that can be seen is telling of the whole identity of an infrastructure. The Rokku Housing, being situated in a mountain in Japan, which is in turn situated in an earthquake prone region of the planet, ought to be built to withstand dangerous high-amplitude oscillations of the ground and its structure. In other words, the structure should be earthquake-proof. Ando, of course anticipated the possibility of seismic activity. This is because he recognizes the context wherein his design is going to be realized (Muschamp).
One can say that in architecture, in contradiction with Jean-Paul Sartres description of man, essence precedes existence. An architect and its clients are like gods that dictate the design of buildings. They design for a specific purpose. In the Rokku Housing, we see a public central plaza that encourages encountering. Each unit has an individual space wherein the dweller can commune with nature (Case Studies). The use of huge openings such as windows lets in light making the place more energy efficient. Thus, a building is made with a specific intention in mind. This gives meaning to the design. The meaning is always attached with the characteristics of the building that of which creates its identity.
This purpose-in-mind that creates the local identity is in a sense an internal factor. Other possible internal factors that create the identity can be seen in the context where the design is situated. For instance, the Rokku Housing fits in a slope and that it is created to withstand earthquake.
At most times, trends in architecture, technology, engineering and science influence the identity. It can influence what materials the structure can be made of and what mechanisms can help meet the goals the architects and clients have in mind. These external factors mainly influence the internal factors which in turn has an effect on the local identity. What basically happens, for instance, is this. Prefabrication was growing in popularity during the creating of the housing. Prefabrication is like making toy Lego parts and putting them together in the construction site. In engineering, prefabrication is cost-effective and it minimizes waste. This prefabrication method influences the identity of the material (Case Studies). The mere fact that we know that the housing was created out of prefabricated materials is telling of the process of the creation of that local identity we are talking about.
The origin of the patterns in the design is uncertain. The complex repetition terraces, balconies, atriums and shaft are for aesthetic purposes as well as for the maximization of whatever space that the structure has. It cannot be conclusively said that the origin is local although some elements like that of the greeneries which are reminiscent of Zen Buddhism. So we can conclude that not all patterns are local but they are universal and avant-garde.
We know that the Rokku housing is situated in a steep slope. We also know that the housing was made to conform with the landscape. Hence the cascading downward of parallelipeds is a necessity that is locally determined.
Modernism in architecture threatens the process of identity building of developing countries. The styles, elements, and themes involved in avant-garde architecture were taken from a combination of such from already existing designs in developed countries. Being developing countries, they typically aim to be included in the roster of developed countries. Included in their efforts of being first world countries is the improvement of their infrastructure. Due to this force, this desire to better themselves they get attracted to the globalization associated with the avant-garde movement. They follow it in their infrastructure designs. In effect they risk blurring their identities.
Losing their identities can be avoided if local architects or any architect working with that specific developing country strives to respond to place-specific needs whilst at the same time follow international trends. Critical regionalism offers an appropriate tool to explain the process of identity building. Critical regionalism, serves as the bridge wherein one should first pass before it heads towards modernity (Patterson).
What Critical regionalism basically does is it puts a break in the strong movement towards avant-garde where universal norms of architecture are followed and regional or local patterns and structures are ignored. The theorys stipulates that any modern designer should respond in a place-specific way to the context of its immediate physical environment and cultural context. Any designer should put at the back of his mind that what he is working on is place-specific that when he is in the tropical country and storm-ridden country like the Philippines, he cannot make an igloo and that the houses ought to be storm-proof. Or if their houses are situated in the eastern part of Manila, they cannot just do any design but they ought to consider that the area is prone to flooding as and in the coming years may experience more flooding catastrophes that is why they should build houses that are elevated. Its long period under Spanish rule cannot be disconnected from the very identity of the country. The American and Japanese colonization surely also have its own influences. History, the necessities required of the site that are influenced by climate, tectonics, and landscape should always be considered in the creation of new identities through architecture.
The Philippines in 2009 was ravaged by several floods, experienced the death of a former president and hero, bothered by a poltically-related massacre, and is again facing another threat for its people because of a volcano eruption looks like it is all going downhill. Japan also a series of unfortunate events after the Second World War when the atomic bomb was dropped in Nagasaki and Hiroshima and was defeated by the Allied Forces. Their country was in ruins and their Emperor admitted to the public who have fanatically supported them in the war that he is not a god. The very reason, other than pride why people the Japanese government in the war is because of the imperial familys image that they are also gods descending from the sun godess Amaterasu. They however did all that they could to modernize their technologies. In their educational programs they sent as many students to universities in the United States and Europe just like the time they sent many onlookers to China during their glory days in order to learn from them. The good thing about Japan is that they got whatever modern idea they got from the others and added a piece of their own when they brought it to the country. Thus, the Japanese maintained its identity. Similarly, if the Philippines want to modernize it can surely follow universal paths toward modern designs but it should always take into consideration what its country demands and what it already has.
The creation of new identities can be defined as short-term results of a long-term social transformation. No one can build from nothing, so existing identities are always made as references. Tadao Andos work being analyzed in this text is for instance a short term result. It incorporates a long-standing culture of minimalism and Japanese nature worship of Shintoism in its design and at the same time it has universal themes.
The geographic location of an architectural piece always adds a distinguishing factor to the identity being created or being restored. The geographic location tells a lot about the topography, the climate, the people that live in the place and thus the architect is given much idea on how to assert the identity he has in mind. He has access through important information that would allow him to respond specifically to the place. Also, the mere fact that a location can be specified means that we can talk about boundaries. Heidegger says that boundaries are defined as that from which something begins its presencing. It is only through a specified domain that the architecture can resist succumbing to greater part of the world (Patterson). Thus it is unique and it begins to have an identity through its location.
Tadao Andos architecture is said to be classified as critical regionalism. As what we have seen in his work in the Rokku Housing, it can be concluded that his work is indeed is critical regionalistic because of his consideration of the immediate environment wherein the structure he designed is built. He not merely went along with modern lines of making use of clear cut geometries seen in his parallelipeds and lack of elaborate details. He added a certain dimensions to the identity of his architecture. He has included the creation of wide open spaces and at the same time maintained privacy and he has allowed his man-made structure to peacefully coexist with nature (Case Studies).
There exists however a problem in the creation of identities. Nowadays, because of increasing globalization avant-garde designs that almost ignore the local culture wherein the design is to be constructed renders the work of architects to be meaningless. The design seems to be at loss even if it is placed somewhere specific in the globe. Some architects therefore worried that their work lacks an identity despite the fact they ought to contribute to the creation of new ones. Although the structures of their avant-garde work are different from anothers work, its very identity is no less different than the other because the very basis of its design is based on the other. For instance, when an architect works he needs to be inspired so he takes a look at pictures of existing designs. So the architect merely modifies the design, wherever place in the world he or she is. The work lacks a firm identity, although it has an identity because it does not consider the locality wherein it is to be constructed (Patterson).
To clarify things, let us take the case of a young boy who dreams to be a physicist. Obviously he is still unique in the very sense of the word. He has his own parents. He was born in the Philippines, a third-world country for instance. He looks up to Richard Feynman a famous physicist. To be good at problem solving he copies his style of just playing around with Physics and enjoying it. He reads biographies and copies almost everything Feynman did to be good in Physics. The problem here is that he fails to realize that he can never be Feynman. First of all, he is not American. He can play around but not all the time as in his country, the results of his work in Physics should have at most times important social impact. He will always be unique. Although he has an identity, it is blurred because he wants to be someone else in a great degree. There is no problem in finding inspiration in someone else, but forgetting your roots, who you are and the uniquess of your structured reality can be a danger to your identity. Analogously, the trend in avant-garde architecture ignores the uniqueness of the locality wherein the infrastructure to be built. The design looks at other designs and tries to be a modification of other designs. There is an identity but it is blurred.
Now, the architects role in creating new identities is in danger. Framptons Critical Regionalism offers a resistance against this blurring of identities. His six points attempt to give significance and meaning to modern designs. In light of Framptons points, let us analyze the Rokko Housing designed by Japanese Architect Tadao Ando.
The Housing, is situated on a 60 sloping land on the edge of the Rokko Mountains in the city of Kobe. Apparently, the landscape was a challenge to both the designer and constructors alike. Its design principle is hinged on opening the possibility for a new kind of collective housing. The design seeks to awaken a sense of identification among its residents. Just like typical Japanese infrastructures, the harmony-with-nature principle is incorporated into the design. It emphasizes on interaction and encountering. The alley spaces and public terraces where residents encounter were created for the purpose of creating a variegated relationship between public and private (Case Studies).
One of the most interesting aspects of the design is that the project is built into the landscape. The design was fitted into the landscape rather than landscape being fit into the design. The common practice at the time when it was built was the erasure of the whole terrain and natural features, or building over stilt structure such as in many cases in Hong Kong. Such an attempt not only demonstrated the building design being integrated with the natural landscape, but also achieved a design variety. However, it is important to note that there was still and extensive cutting and fill works involved in the process (Case Studies).
There is great difficulty in distinguishing the own from the foreign in architecture. Architect Bruce Goff (1968), said that nothing in art is strictly and completely original with its creator. An architect therefore can be inspired by many things in his past and present. Sometimes he imitates and then makes some modifications. Despite the difficulty, it would be beneficial to identify the patterns and criteria that will help in distinguishing the own from the foreign in architecture. This is important for the architectural work to have its own identity.
To start, we can take a look at the context where the design is intended to be built. We can take a look at the exterior and interior of the building and which design elements or themes are in a greater degree local or foreign. Other than taking into consideration the culture, the terrain, climate, and the tectonic of the site should be examined (Patterson).
Minimalism and the intermingling with nature has always been a part of Japanese architecture. This minimalism and inclusion of nature is very evident in Andos Rokku Housing. There were design elements and themes that were included in order to satisfy plausible customer whims and these elements and themes are universal in nature. That means that those elements are very well-known in the field of architecture. For instance, there is an interplay of solid and void. There is an alternating pattern of open and closed and there is a contrast between light and darkness. Andos work, achieved openness while at the same time maintained the privacy of its dwellers.
Aside from the visible designs, we should also take into consideration the nature of the materials used, the methods, and the principles behind the design. In Rokku III, another element is introduced in the construction. It is prefabrication. This low-cost construction technique is implemented to maintain quality and efficiency. It is a universal aim in architecture we do not exactly know the origins of such an aim. Waste was also minimized. This minimization of waste is not exclusively Japanese.
As seen in the previous paragraphs, what is foreign is usually universal in nature.
When looking at buildings, houses and other infrastructures onlookers usually attach identities at what they are viewing. By merely looking at the materials, colors, geometries in the architecture one can tell apart which is Asian or Western. If they are familiar with both Japanese and Chinese cultures, one can identify which is Chinese and which is not. For instance, the Chinese are more elaborate in their designs whilst Japanese are minimalists. The Chinese also like to incorporate the dragon theme in their designs. Indian or Buddhist temples are distinguishable too from the others because of religious figures and geometries associated with their designs. Thus identity is created through association with unique specifics. The avant-garde movement, as mentioned earlier subtly destroys this identity as they veer away from regional norms to universal ones that blur their distinction from one another.
An amateur architect or a mere architecture enthusiast, can easily mistake Tadao Andos work for the work of other architects such as Santiago Calatrava and I.M. Pei. To an uneducateds eye, their works seem similar. They veer away from traditional designs to go to more daring geometries. They also use a lot of glass to let light in. Sometimes they use approximately paralleliped structures in their works. They look modern.
If we take a look at for instance the Museum of Islamic Art designed by I.M. Pei, one cannot immediately say that this is situated in Qatar and that it is Muslim without knowing the name of the building. That happens unless the onlooker is familiar with Islamic Architecture. Some elements of Islamic Style seen in the museum are the arcs, the use of repetitive geometric shapes and the use of bright color in the walls of the infrastructure. Similarly, looking at Andos design will not make one think immediately that the Rokku Housing is Japanese because many modern infrastructures have incorporated minimalism in their designs. The minimalism in the design however gives a clue that it is Japanese. Also, the attempt to create space that intermingles with nature is a plus factor that can direct someone to conclude that the design is Japanese. Identity however, is not just about telling which is European, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indonesian, American or Japanese. Just like any native, like a Japanese native, we say more specific characteristics of that personbuilding.
The housing was made to conform with the topography of the site and not the other way around. Thus we know that the housing is on the Rokku mountains with a 60-degree slope. The inclusion of wide spaces gives a feeling of openness in the design whilst maintaining the privacy of the individual units.
Some further note to make is this some enthusiasts say that Japan is a land of contradiction. Despite the minimalism they employ we can still see complexity in the Rokku housing. The repeating patterns of terraces, balconies, atriums and shafts give the design its complexity. It is difficult to create such patterns and still arrive at a certain sense of symmetry.
In philosophy it is said that the identity of a person does not just lie in what is seen. Analogously in a design, not all that can be seen is telling of the whole identity of an infrastructure. The Rokku Housing, being situated in a mountain in Japan, which is in turn situated in an earthquake prone region of the planet, ought to be built to withstand dangerous high-amplitude oscillations of the ground and its structure. In other words, the structure should be earthquake-proof. Ando, of course anticipated the possibility of seismic activity. This is because he recognizes the context wherein his design is going to be realized (Muschamp).
One can say that in architecture, in contradiction with Jean-Paul Sartres description of man, essence precedes existence. An architect and its clients are like gods that dictate the design of buildings. They design for a specific purpose. In the Rokku Housing, we see a public central plaza that encourages encountering. Each unit has an individual space wherein the dweller can commune with nature (Case Studies). The use of huge openings such as windows lets in light making the place more energy efficient. Thus, a building is made with a specific intention in mind. This gives meaning to the design. The meaning is always attached with the characteristics of the building that of which creates its identity.
This purpose-in-mind that creates the local identity is in a sense an internal factor. Other possible internal factors that create the identity can be seen in the context where the design is situated. For instance, the Rokku Housing fits in a slope and that it is created to withstand earthquake.
At most times, trends in architecture, technology, engineering and science influence the identity. It can influence what materials the structure can be made of and what mechanisms can help meet the goals the architects and clients have in mind. These external factors mainly influence the internal factors which in turn has an effect on the local identity. What basically happens, for instance, is this. Prefabrication was growing in popularity during the creating of the housing. Prefabrication is like making toy Lego parts and putting them together in the construction site. In engineering, prefabrication is cost-effective and it minimizes waste. This prefabrication method influences the identity of the material (Case Studies). The mere fact that we know that the housing was created out of prefabricated materials is telling of the process of the creation of that local identity we are talking about.
The origin of the patterns in the design is uncertain. The complex repetition terraces, balconies, atriums and shaft are for aesthetic purposes as well as for the maximization of whatever space that the structure has. It cannot be conclusively said that the origin is local although some elements like that of the greeneries which are reminiscent of Zen Buddhism. So we can conclude that not all patterns are local but they are universal and avant-garde.
We know that the Rokku housing is situated in a steep slope. We also know that the housing was made to conform with the landscape. Hence the cascading downward of parallelipeds is a necessity that is locally determined.
Modernism in architecture threatens the process of identity building of developing countries. The styles, elements, and themes involved in avant-garde architecture were taken from a combination of such from already existing designs in developed countries. Being developing countries, they typically aim to be included in the roster of developed countries. Included in their efforts of being first world countries is the improvement of their infrastructure. Due to this force, this desire to better themselves they get attracted to the globalization associated with the avant-garde movement. They follow it in their infrastructure designs. In effect they risk blurring their identities.
Losing their identities can be avoided if local architects or any architect working with that specific developing country strives to respond to place-specific needs whilst at the same time follow international trends. Critical regionalism offers an appropriate tool to explain the process of identity building. Critical regionalism, serves as the bridge wherein one should first pass before it heads towards modernity (Patterson).
What Critical regionalism basically does is it puts a break in the strong movement towards avant-garde where universal norms of architecture are followed and regional or local patterns and structures are ignored. The theorys stipulates that any modern designer should respond in a place-specific way to the context of its immediate physical environment and cultural context. Any designer should put at the back of his mind that what he is working on is place-specific that when he is in the tropical country and storm-ridden country like the Philippines, he cannot make an igloo and that the houses ought to be storm-proof. Or if their houses are situated in the eastern part of Manila, they cannot just do any design but they ought to consider that the area is prone to flooding as and in the coming years may experience more flooding catastrophes that is why they should build houses that are elevated. Its long period under Spanish rule cannot be disconnected from the very identity of the country. The American and Japanese colonization surely also have its own influences. History, the necessities required of the site that are influenced by climate, tectonics, and landscape should always be considered in the creation of new identities through architecture.
The Philippines in 2009 was ravaged by several floods, experienced the death of a former president and hero, bothered by a poltically-related massacre, and is again facing another threat for its people because of a volcano eruption looks like it is all going downhill. Japan also a series of unfortunate events after the Second World War when the atomic bomb was dropped in Nagasaki and Hiroshima and was defeated by the Allied Forces. Their country was in ruins and their Emperor admitted to the public who have fanatically supported them in the war that he is not a god. The very reason, other than pride why people the Japanese government in the war is because of the imperial familys image that they are also gods descending from the sun godess Amaterasu. They however did all that they could to modernize their technologies. In their educational programs they sent as many students to universities in the United States and Europe just like the time they sent many onlookers to China during their glory days in order to learn from them. The good thing about Japan is that they got whatever modern idea they got from the others and added a piece of their own when they brought it to the country. Thus, the Japanese maintained its identity. Similarly, if the Philippines want to modernize it can surely follow universal paths toward modern designs but it should always take into consideration what its country demands and what it already has.
The creation of new identities can be defined as short-term results of a long-term social transformation. No one can build from nothing, so existing identities are always made as references. Tadao Andos work being analyzed in this text is for instance a short term result. It incorporates a long-standing culture of minimalism and Japanese nature worship of Shintoism in its design and at the same time it has universal themes.
The geographic location of an architectural piece always adds a distinguishing factor to the identity being created or being restored. The geographic location tells a lot about the topography, the climate, the people that live in the place and thus the architect is given much idea on how to assert the identity he has in mind. He has access through important information that would allow him to respond specifically to the place. Also, the mere fact that a location can be specified means that we can talk about boundaries. Heidegger says that boundaries are defined as that from which something begins its presencing. It is only through a specified domain that the architecture can resist succumbing to greater part of the world (Patterson). Thus it is unique and it begins to have an identity through its location.
Tadao Andos architecture is said to be classified as critical regionalism. As what we have seen in his work in the Rokku Housing, it can be concluded that his work is indeed is critical regionalistic because of his consideration of the immediate environment wherein the structure he designed is built. He not merely went along with modern lines of making use of clear cut geometries seen in his parallelipeds and lack of elaborate details. He added a certain dimensions to the identity of his architecture. He has included the creation of wide open spaces and at the same time maintained privacy and he has allowed his man-made structure to peacefully coexist with nature (Case Studies).
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