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In December, GARDE and the Faculty of Architecture, The University of Da Nang, Vietnam co-hosted a web seminar titled “Tradition and Future”. In the seminar, participants exchanged passionate presentations on the achievements and examples of redesign and rebranding of traditional architecture in Japan and Vietnam, as well as the state of architecture and design in the post-corona era.

When you hear the words “tradition and future,” what comes to mind? Most of them are probably visible things such as culture, design, and form. Of course, they are inextricably linked to tradition and the future. However, in the creation of things such as architecture, the atmosphere and smell of the time period, the technology, the thoughts, hopes, efforts and struggles of the creator, and many other elements are included.

In recent years, there has also been an increase in the consideration of social issues such as “sustainability,” “SDGs,” and “environmental issues.” In architecture, consideration of environmental aspects, versatility, and sustainability in architectural design is becoming more important throughout the design, construction, and operation stages.

This means that the pursuit of “rationalism,” “humanism,” “progressivism,” and “convenience” promoted by modernization, where all that is needed is to innovate and cultivate customers, is becoming unacceptable in the future. It may mean that concepts and mechanisms such as “how does it work for sustainable development of society” and “what methods can be used to solve social issues” will become the pillars of product creation.This is not the first time that we are addressing social issues. Environmental architecture that is sustainable has been adopted in buildings dating back more than 200 years.

In this issue, we would like to introduce you to “redesigned architecture” that conveys a grand historical story and a tribute to the past.

■Candeo Hotel Kyoto Karasuma Rokkaku (Kyoto, Japan)

Opened in June 2021, Candeo Hotels Kyoto Karasuma Rokkaku is a redesign of the former Banke residence, a traditional machiya house registered as a tangible cultural property by the city of Kyoto. Among the machiya houses, the “Former Banke Family Residence” is a valuable building that retains the atmosphere of the time.The tatami room, which consists of the main room and the next room, has been finished in a sukiya style with menkawabashira pillars and menkawanageshi screens.In addition, the main room has a floor, shelves, and a hirashoin, and the shelves are decorated with ink paintings by Taiga Ikeno. It is an excellent design, with no skimping on details. In order to maximize the charm of the building, the tatami mats in the reception room, lounge, and bar have been kept intact, while the original courtyard has been preserved, and the reception room on the first floor has been carefully designed so that visitors can enjoy the Kyoto machiya space while relaxing.

The building consists of three wings: the reception wing, the guest room wing, and the large bathroom wing. In particular, the reception room, bar and lounge in the reception building are made from the original tatami space. The reception room features sliding doors with ink paintings by Taiga Ikeno, a literary painter from Kyoto, and a sandalwood-scented entrance to create a relaxing space reminiscent of Japan. In the bar space, the hanging lights on the street floor seen through the latticed windows create an atmosphere like watching lanterns displayed at a festival, creating the feeling of living in a machiya.

During the Gion Festival, which is the busiest time of the year in Kyoto, a float (Jomyozan) is assembled in front of the hotel. It is a valuable redesigned building where you can feel the history and atmosphere of Kyoto close at hand.

■ Former Sakuramiya Public Hall (Osaka, Japan)

The former Sakuramiya Public Hall was built in 1935 as the Meiji Emperor Memorial Hall and was renamed the Sakuramiya Public Hall in 1948 after the war. The main entrance, made of tatsuyama stone, is a replica of the entrance of the Mint (now known as the Mint Bureau), which was built in 1871 by British architect and civil engineer Thomas James Waters. It is one of the oldest existing modern buildings in Japan and is designated as a national important cultural asset. It was the façade of Japan’s first real Western-style large factory complex, or foundry.

Incidentally, Thomas Waters was involved in the construction of the Osaka Mint, various Western-style factories for sugar, spinning, and paper, the Takebashi Jinei Clock Tower, and the British Legation. Japan’s first Hoffman-style wheeled kiln was built in Kosuge Village (now known as Kosuge, Katsushika Ward, Tokyo) to manufacture the bricks used in the Ginza Red Bricktown. He was one of the first important figures to bring Western-style architecture to Japan from the end of the Edo period to the early Meiji period.

After becoming the Sakuramiya Public Hall, it was used for various purposes such as a library and a youth art gallery before being closed in 2007. To save the building, which was an important cultural asset but had been abandoned without any use, the city of Osaka and a private company decided to launch a project to effectively utilize the historical asset.

Under the concept of “a fusion of the old and the new,” the project was designed to bring a modern sense of design to the building, while preserving the dignity and beauty of its history. The building was revived as the “Old Sakuramiya Public Hall” by restoring the original features such as he decorative ceiling, stage, and large arched windows have been restored to the way they were when the building was completed 78 years ago, and balancing the classic feel with the newly introduced furnishings and design. It is now a memorial space for wedding ceremonies and continues to create happy stories for many people.

■Soldier Field (Chicago, USA)

After World War I, many memorials and buildings were built to remember those who lost their lives in the war. One such memorial is the Greek Revival Soldier Field (1924) in the city of Chicago.Designed by Holabird and Roche in 1919 and featuring a huge Doric arcade, it was officially opened on November 27, 1926 at the 29th Army-Navy Game and. It has been home to the Chicago Bears football team since 1971.In 2003, the stadium was renovated by Wood and Zapata in conjunction with Chicago-based Rohan Caprile Gesch Associates, but the renovation remains controversial to this day. Finally, in 2006, the building was removed from the National Register of Historic Places. Let’s just say that preservationists and sports fans have their own ideas here…

As for the renovations, the reinforced concrete shell was retained, and the interior was redesigned with asymmetrical curved steel and glass fixtures. By demolishing the old and cramped sections, the overall capacity was reduced, but the distance between the spectators’ seats and the field became closer, and the space was successfully reborn with a live atmosphere.

While some critics have called it an “unsightly addition to the Lakeshore” and an “acropolis disaster.” However, many people have defended and praised the space-like design and design.

This is a wonderful building that shows the hard work and dedication of the people involved in this project, not to mention the difficulty of renovating a historic facility to satisfy both fans and conservationists.

◆Sources

https://www.candeohotels.com/ja/kyoto-rokkaku/

https://restaurant.novarese.jp/smk/

http://www.kenzai.or.jp/tanbou/240.html

https://www.hanmoto.com/bd/isbn/9784808710828

 

During the two months from October to December, we held a series of four free web seminars on “Idle Assets: Effective Utilization of Closed School Sites. In recent years, due to the decline in the number of students caused by the declining birthrate and municipal mergers, about 500 public schools have been closed every year, as you may already know.

It is a great loss to the community and a negative impact on the safety and environment of the community when schools, which are supposed to be valuable assets and symbols of the community, are left idle because there is no clear way for them to be reused in the community. Against this background, finding new uses for closed school buildings is one of the projects that the public and private sectors should work together on. The important point here is whether the approach and strategy are formulated based on the promotion of the SDGs. The SDGs, which were adopted at the UN General Assembly held at UN Headquarters in New York in September 2015 as actions that are extremely important for humanity and the future, can now be said to be the basis for all value creation.

In this article, we would like to explore the key words for utilizing idle assets through examples of SDGs strategies from around the world.

■What are SDGs?

In September 2015, a text named “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development/Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was adopted by the UN General Assembly. This is the text that describes the sustainable development goals used in the name of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Based on the principle of “leave no one behind,” 17 goals and 169 targets have been set for 2030. At the beginning of the text, there are five key words that state that the future after 2030 can be seen by intertwining all aspects of “people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership.

Five keywords ➡ https://www.unicef.or.jp/kodomo/sdgs/preamble/

The 17 goals ➡ https://www.unicef.or.jp/kodomo/sdgs/17goals/

■Thinking about the SDGs from the perspective of idle assets

#１. Local development x SDGs　

As we consider the goal of the SDGs – a world, society, and local communities that develop sustainably – there is a growing concern about the rapid depopulation of Japan’s local communities, especially in rural and mountainous areas. The decline of local industries and the deterioration of the living environment will accelerate the decline of the population, which will eventually lead to the decline of local communities and the threat of the disappearance of settlements. Now that it has become clear that it is no longer possible for local governments to provide the kind of services to residents that they have in the past, based on the premise of population growth, there is a need to establish a new model for maintaining local communities and building sustainable communities by optimally utilizing limited human and material resources. This is the time to establish optimal use of our limited human and material resources for maintaining local communities and building sustainable communities.

In May 2014, the Japan Creation Council (chaired by Hiroya Masuda) released a report that more than half (896) of the 1,800 municipalities in Japan could “disappear” by 2040, causing a huge shock. In response, in September of the same year, the government established the Headquarters for the Creation of New Town, New Human Resources, and New Work, and began full-scale efforts to create new regions. Since then, several policies have been put forward to actively utilize the SDGs in regional development.

＃2. Social, Economic, and Environment x SDGs

The SDGs are about viewing “economy,” “society,” and “environment” as inseparable, and using the issues faced by each of them as inputs to create new value while solving them.

We believe that the concept of “design thinking,” which architectural design firms like ours are best at, will come into play. Design Thinking is not only used in the design process, but also in the management and business development of global companies such as Apple, Google, P&G, etc. In recent years, Japanese companies have also become more interested in this way of thinking due to changes in the market structure. It is composed of five major processes.

• Empathize
• Define
• Ideate
• Prototype
• Test

The process of creating new products and services through repeated trial and error and testing with actual customers and users is a process in which stakeholders, such as companies and organizations like ours, gather information on issues from local residents and governments, define issues and needs, come up with ideas, create prototypes based on those ideas, and test them on actual customers and users. Design Thinking is characterized by its ability to think from the standpoint of the users of the product or service, and to seek fundamental solutions, rather than simply solving problems and issues that have surfaced.

From these points of view, we can say that “sustainability,” which is the basis of the SDGs, is a good match for “utilization of idle assets.

■SDGs around the world

In the world, there are many SDG achievements with resilience and coexistence as keywords. It can be said to be a picture of individuals, communities, organizations, businesses, and social systems achieving sustainable growth while adapting to social challenges, and to address the issue of how to create a common identity and emotional attachment for local residents with different backgrounds. We have been working with not only local residents but also other stakeholders such as corporations, NGOs, universities, and the third sector under the concept of “collaboration and co-creation”.Here, we would like to introduce the case of Veile, Denmark as one example amongst the SDGs in the world.

Veile（Denmark）

 

 

 

 

 

Veile is located in the southern part of the Jutland Peninsula, bordering Germany on the continental side of Europe. It is the only city in Scandinavia to be selected as one of the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC). 100RC is a project initiated by the Rockefeller Foundation in the United States in 2013. The foundation selects 100 cities from around the world, and with the support of the foundation, formulates a resilience strategy and builds an international network. Kyoto City and Toyama City were selected from Japan.
Back in Veile, in 2016, the strategy was formulated under the slogan “A sustainable city for all”. In particular, it focuses on three areas: citizen participation, digitalization, and building social resilience. In recent years, the city has become a source of economic growth and innovation with the emergence of many IT companies and start-ups. In 2012, it was awarded as the city with the most advanced social integration with refugees in Denmark.
There are five major challenges facing Veile.
① Climate change and flood risk (many floods and unexpected heavy rains have occurred in recent years)
② Urbanization (impact on the natural environment due to increased traffic)
③ Increased needs for infrastructure (IT to support digital life, aging of existing infrastructure)
④ Changes in industrial structure, global economy (impact on local employment)
⑤ Demographic change (weakening of social bonds)
The following four strategies were identified as approaches to the problem.
❶A city where co-creation is born
❸ A city that is flexible to climate change
❸ Socially resilient cities
❹ Smart city
“Co-creation” is what Veile is focusing on the most as “citizen engagement and co-creation”. Specifically, Veile has set up a welfare laboratory to support citizens with disabilities living in the facilities by holding art festivals with experts in various fields. In addition, an expo is scheduled to be completed in 2040 to display the challenges Vaile is facing and how to solve them, and a living laboratory is being developed to implement solutions in collaboration with various Stakeholders.
Next is “climate change”. Water has always been a symbol of the city and a part of life, as evidenced by the fact that the name Veile is derived from the word meaning “fjord” and that people settled in the valley of a tributary of the Vaile River in the 12th century. However, due to recent climate change, it is estimated that the fjord facing the city will rise by 25 cm by 2050 and 69 cm by 2100. The water, which is a symbol for Veile, has become a source of disaster risk. In order to minimize the risk of flooding, plans are underway to redevelop the waterfront area facing the fjord and to install water level control equipment. We are also making efforts to promote the use of bicycles. The use of bicycles reduces CO2 in the atmosphere, improves the health and wellbeing of citizens, and reduces the social cost of gasoline-run vehicles. Plans are also underway to build a bike path in the center of the city.
Lastly, “Resilient and Smart Cities”, in other words, aims to ensure the safety and security of the city while integrating with the ever-increasing number of immigrants, strengthen the connection between the younger generation and society, and create shareable resources with the public and private sectors.
For example, a citizen’s farm program called “Grow Veile” provides citizens who do not have a garden with the opportunity to rent a field and grow organic crops with less environmental impact, and the city’s police, schools, nurses, businessmen, and counselors work together to develop programs and tools to combat crime and identify suspicious people. A variety of initiatives are being planned and implemented to help new and old citizens develop an identity with the city and strengthen their ties to society.
At Veile, people with different expertise from the private sector, government, research institutions, and the third sector gather to realize co-creation, and think and develop new ideas and services to address the issues. From this, we can see how they are not just developing solutions, but also approaching and interacting with local residents.
The various approaches promoted by Denmark and Veile, including the creation of a “public-private collaboration space” in the form of a living laboratory, can be said to be very helpful for the utilization of idle assets.

Sources:
https://www.hanmoto.com/bd/isbn/9784761527839
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/oda/sdgs/about/index.html
https://www.unicef.or.jp/kodomo/sdgs/17goals/

In Japan, there are many shrines and Buddhist temples that enshrine gods and Buddha. The term “Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples” (Jinja Bukkaku) is used to include both shrines and temples and can be read separately as “kami” (gods) and “yashiro” (shrines) and “takadono” (Buddha). The word “shrine” can also mean a “hokora” which means temple, and the word “takadono” which refers to a magnificent palace. In short, we can see that both words refer to buildings. In other words, shrines and temples are buildings that enshrine both Shinto Gods and Buddha. The first two letters represent Shinto (shrines), and the following two letters represent Buddhism (temples).

This might be attributed to the mere sensitivity of the Japanese people, who have no specific gods or religions. and often feel invisible power over all things in the forest, but shrines and temples are often mentioned as places that lead to good luck (power spots).

At this time of year, when we have more opportunities to visit shrines and temples, we would like to introduce some power spots both in Japan and overseas.

1.Increase Your Luck In Finance                                                                                                                                                             

■Fountain of Wealth (Singapore)

Singapore is a cosmopolitan city that has prospered as a trading hub since ancient times. The Fountain of Wealth (built in 1995/recognized by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998), located in the grounds of the Suntec City Mall in the Marina district of Singapore, is the world’s largest fountain designed based on Feng Shui. In Feng Shui, water is a symbol of wealth, so it is said that the fountain was designed with the surrounding skyscrapers in mind as symbolic of fingers grasping money in their palms. The practice of tracing a circle around three times in the water with your finger this fountain with your right hand has become a tourist attraction as a power spot to increase money luck and financial strength. One thing to remember is that you can only touch the fountain for a certain amount of time, so be sure to check the facility’s website beforehand…

2.Luck in Work

■Charging Bull (USA)

This bronze statue of a bull was created by sculptor Arturo Di Modica in the hope that it would boost the stock prices of the U.S. economy, which was depressed after Black Monday (New York stock market crash) in 1986. Not only is this dynamic silhouette alone full of power, but the statue also became world famous as a power spot after it became widely known that Wall Street stockbrokers touched the statue every morning on their way to work to pray for a rise in stock prices and success in their jobs, leading to the relation between the words “bull market” and “bull”. The statue was first installed without permissions in front of the New York Stock Exchange in December 1989, but later settled down in the current location of Bowling Green due to passionate protests from the public. Through such anecdotes, one can feel the incredible power of the bronze statue.

3.Luck in Health

■Machu Picchu Ruins (Peru)

Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world, is considered to be one of the most beautiful ancient ruins in the world. Because it is located at the top of the mountain at an altitude of 2,280 meters, it cannot be seen from the foot of the mountain and is also called the “City in the Air”.It is said that the spectacular view purifies and cleanses the mind of those who see it. In the ruins of Machu Picchu, it is still unknown why the city was built in the mountains about 114 km northwest of Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire. Intihuatana, the highest granite rock in the ruins of Machu Picchu, is said to be the most powerful spot in the city, and biggest power spot in the ruins. It is said that f you hold your hand over the stone, you can receive divine power.

4.Luck in Love

■Tin Hau Temple (Hong Kong)

Tin Hau Temple is a temple located in various parts of Hong Kong that is home to many different deities. The largest of these is the Tin Hau Temple at Repulse Bay (a beach in the south of Hong Kong Island). It is said that the Moon God is the god of love and marriage, and that if you stroke the marriage stone next to the Moon God and that, if they are connected, a man and woman can meet even if they are 1,000 miles apart, and many people visit the temple as a power spot for romantic success. Unlike the Japanese gods, these gods are very colorful, resembling that of a theme park, which is very Hong Kong-like. However, this is also a way to show children what God is like is a simplistic way, and to make them feel closer to God, sacred being, by showing them the religion based on Feng Shui in various forms and shapes.

Repulse Bay was also the setting for the famous Hollywood movie “Love is A Many Splendored Thing” If interested, why not check out the movie as well?

Finally, for those of you who want to improve your luck in general… I’m here to help you.

5.Good Luck

■Takayama Inari Shrine

Takayama Inari Shrine, located in Tsugaru City, Aomori Prefecture, is on a hill with a wonderful view of the Japanese Sea. After climbing more than a hundred stone steps to the shrine, you will see there is a Shinto Garden in the vicinity, and beyond that, a beautiful Japanese garden with multiple rows of Senbon Torii gates. Once you pass through the Senbon Torii, you will see a fantastic view of the shrine and the foxes, the messengers of the gods, as if you have wandered into another world.It is said to be very beneficial for a good harvest, safety at sea, and prosperity in business, but it is also known for all sorts of other beliefs such as household safety, fishing, protection on the road, and healing of illness It is said that many people from all over Japan visit this Inari Shrine for its spiritual power.

■Sources:

https://sunteccity.com.sg/

http://www.chargingbull.com/

https://worldheritagesite.xyz/machu-picchu/

https://www.hongkongnavi.com/miru/125/

https://takayamainari.jp/top.html

 

In recent months, we have been receiving more and more opportunities related to schools, including webinars with the Hanoi  University of Construction and the Ho Chi Minh University of Architecture, and a webinar on the utilization of closed schools.

It can be said that schools play a very important role in forming a city where people gather and breathe.

Schools are institutions that play a central role in the education system, but when we look at them from the aspect of architecture, we find  that they coexist and live in harmony with the local culture, history, and customs, and that they are highly functional and artistic  buildings.

In this article, we would like to introduce some of the many schools in the world that have coexisted with culture and history.

#1.M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, (Russia)

Founded in 1755 at the initiative of world-renowned scientist Mikhail Moronosov, the university is Russia’s oldest and largest, and one of the world’s leading scientific and academic centers. (Moronosov was a world-famous scientist who was often quoted as being a “Leonardo da Vinci” for his glass-making skills, theoretical work in physics and chemistry, astronomy, geography research, writing grammars, historical papers, ode poems, translating poetry, and developing mosaic panels.)

The main building uses an architectural style known as “Stalin architecture”. It is commonly called the “Seven Sisters” because there are seven buildings of this architectural style in Russia. (As the name implies, Joseph Stalin had them built as a symbol of his dictatorship.)The most magnificent of the Seven Sisters is the main building of Moscow State University. It is 240 meters high, has 32 floors, 40,000 rooms, and can accommodate about 6,000 people. Currently, it is mainly used as a student dormitory. The vast 230-hectare site houses 27 major buildings, including school buildings, student dormitories, parks, botanical gardens, and an observatory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Mexico)

Founded in 1551, the university was completed in 1552 after more than 60 architects and artists designed and built the campus in 1949. It is the second oldest university in the Americas and the oldest in Mexico. The main campus was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. The campus, a fusion of traditional Mexican culture and modern architecture, houses not only various faculties and research institutes, but also museums, the Olympic Stadium, supermarkets, theaters, and cinemas, forming a university city. One of the most eye-catching features is the mural painting in the Biblioteca Central (Central Library). It is said to be one of the largest murals in the world, and on all four walls (north, south, east, and west) There are mosaics on the themes of “Aztec Civilization,” “Spanish Colonial Tyranny,” “Sun and Moon, Space, Science, and Politics,” and “National Autonomous University of Mexico. Paintings by Mexican architect Juan O’Gorman, who is also a muralist. If you look at this mural after knowing the background of the mural painting movement that took place in the 1920s (aimed at conveying the significance of the revolution and the Mexican identity to the people), you will be able to feel the unique Mexican artistry and the new fascination of Mexican modern architecture. A powerful three-dimensional mural entitled “From the People to the University, from the University to the People” is also painted on the wall of the Rector’s Building. (By David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of Mexico’s most famous muralists.)
Within the huge campus, there are still many facilities and spaces of high historical and cultural value, unique architecture, and other places where you can have a rich and valuable experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schools play a very important role and meaning in shaping cities. By looking at schools from the aspect of “architecture,” we were able to learn that the passion of so many people, including educators, architects, and designers, has been concentrated in schools, which are still carving out a new history.
The utilization, revitalization, and symbiosis of closed schools, as I mentioned at the beginning of this report, is also about carefully protecting and inheriting the history and various thoughts that have been built up over the years, while creating ways to further utilize them in the future. In other words, to create something new is to protect the history that already exists.

 

◆Sources
https://www.msu.ru/en/
https://www.unam.mx/
http://whc.unesco.org/es/list/1250
https://bibliotecacentral.unam.mx/index.php/nuestro-mural
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1250/

One of the best things about traveling around the world is not only getting the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery, culture, customs, food, and people, but also the magnificent buildings with high historical value.

Of these, Italy’s buildings are said to be the best in the world both in terms of quantity and historical value

In this article, we will introduce some of Italy’s representative buildings and interview Italian designer Francesco Ristori to discuss architecture and design in Japan and abroad from a global perspective.

■＃1. The Pantheon (Rome, Italy)

Michelangelo, a man of many talents in art and architecture, praised The Pantheon as an “angelic design”. Built in 25 B.C. by Agrippa, trusted by Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, it was destroyed by fire in 80 B.C., but was rebuilt by the emperors Domitian and Trajan. From 118 to 125, Hadrian transformed the Pantheon into a classical building that pursued space, order, arrangement, and light. It is no coincidence that the height of the dome and the diameter of the rotunda correspond exactly to the diameter of a perfect sphere.

The circular structure of the Pantheon was inspired by the heavens and the sun, and unlike the square-shaped spaces that were the mainstay of Greek and Roman temple architecture until that time, the domes were made smaller as they were raised, and the walls were made progressively thinner to reduce the downward pressure of the weight of the dome and to release the physical stress to the foundation.

The only source of light in the Pantheon is the dome’s “great eye”, a circular window at the top of the dome, and when the sun shines in around noon, the magnificent space made of polished marble and finished with geometric patterns shines beautifully.

The Pantheon, which continues to transmit the image of Rome’s glory to the present day, is truly an architecture with a sense of history.

■ Francesco’s Addition: Knowing this makes” The Pantheon”100 times more interesting!

Italian monuments have myths that are based on truth. In the case of The Pantheon, it remains a myth that glorifies Roman architecture.

One of the things that makes The Pantheon an amazing piece of architecture is that it does not have a keystone on the dome, which would normally be present, to avoid structural overload. As a result, there is a large hole that allows you to see the sky. Many people may think, “Won’t it flood when it rains?”.

In fact, when it rains, the chimney effect causes the rain to be sprayed by the warm wind, and it is said that the inside has never been flooded.

Of course, this is due to the superior design techniques of Roman architecture and the chimney effect, this was due in part to the myth that Roman building technology was so great that it would not flood even when it rained.

■#2. Church of San Miniato al Monte (Florence, Italy)

Construction began in the year 1018. This is the first church in Florence dedicated to Christian martyrs. It is said that when the martyrs were decapitated, they carried their heads under their arms and climbed the hill with wobbly steps to come to this place where they were buried.

The façade is made of Carrara marble with white color, which complements the green serpentine stone and adds to the beauty of the building. The first floor, there is a design reminiscent of a classical temple, a 13th-century mosaic at the top of the edicula (stone or wooden altar) window, depicting Christ on the throne with a saint by his side, and at the top of the façade, a mosaic of a man on the throne, and bronze falcon symbolizing the woolen guild. Inside, the main altar is decorated with mosaics from the 13th century, and between the steps leading to the main altar is the Chapel of the Cross by Michelozzo, added during the Renaissance.

It is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany and is a valuable historical building that had a great influence on later Renaissance architecture, both inside and out.

■Francesco’s Addition Knowing this, the “Church of San Miniato al Monte” becomes 100 times more interesting!

If you were to ask, “What is the most beautiful bridge in Florence? Most people would probably answer “Ponte Vecchio”. Personally, however, I would say that the adjacent Holy Trinity Bridge is the most beautiful bridge in Florence.

The reason for this is quite simple: from Ponte Vecchio, you can’t see the whole beautiful Ponte Vecchio, but when you stand on the Santa Trinita Bridge, you will see the Ponte Vecchio in all its magnificent beauty. Therefore, the Santa Trinita Bridge is the most beautiful bridge in Florence.

Similarly, the Church of San Miniato al Monte is not considered the most beautiful church in Florence. But from the top of the hill where the facade stands, you can see all the churches in Florence. That’s why we can say that “San Miniato al Monte” is the most beautiful church in Florence!

 

©MARIO RISTORI

■Francesco, a designer, talks about architecture and design in Italy and Japan.

1)Influence from Italy, and conversely, the influence of Japan on other　countries 　

Trade between Italy and Japan began in 1866, but it took several decades before there was any visible impact.　In 1904, “Madame Butterfly” was premiered at La Scala in Milan. The fact that the story is set in Nagasaki is considered evidence of the deep interest Italy and Japan had in each other. It is said that the relationship was strengthened from there and influenced the streets of Nagasaki.On the other hand, in Italy, in the 19th century, the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio admired the charm of Japanese haiku and created an Italian version of it. It can be said that Italy and Japan have strong cultural and historical ties.　

2) About the design scene and production in Italy and Japan

First, I feel that the production process is completely different. In Italy, the skilled craftsman become the architect client while in Japan, the craftsman follows the architect client. This is just my way of thinking, but basically, in Italy, there is a lot of thinking and creating on site, but in Japan, preparation and detailed verification are prioritized.In Italy and Japan, “traditional craftsmanship and manufacturing methods that have been handed down from generation to generation remain strong” can be said to be a commonality in site and production.

3) Design in Italy and Japan

Both Italy and Japan participated in the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26). It is expected that we will aim for a cleaner and greener future.I believe that zero carbon and energy autonomy will be set and introduced as major objectives in architecture as well.In northern Italy, energy-autonomous buildings are already on the rise due to the influence of northern European building technology. On the other hand, it has been suggested that the development of energy-autonomous buildings in Japan may be delayed due to the cost of land and earthquake resistance standards. Nevertheless, I hope that we will make steady progress step by step.

 

■Francesco Ristori

International Design Division, Office Department, Architect, Designer

After achieving a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Florence, he specialized in Italy in housing and retail projects, as well as heritage buildings restoration. Since 2014 he has been involved as designer at GARDE, operating in Japan and Korea, China, and south-east Asia, involved in several project scales, such as corporate offices, hospitality, residential, commercial facilities, and department stores.

■Sources：

https://nigensha.hondana.jp/book/b559274.html

https://xknowledge-books.jp/book/9784767819624/