T6-Sou Fujimoto
Of Roots, Possibilities, and the Spaces in Between
Sou Fujimoto’s philosophy is defined that architecture and nature have this space in between – a space for people not to just live in but rather to explore and fulfill it by themselves; a space that creates a natural environment and a metamorphic reaction or movement created by human behavior; a space that mimics and creates a new world merging the soul of nature with the body of architecture, an opposing two that creates that melody and overall sense of the in-between space.
Architecture is about accidents leading to a metamorphic reaction that creates an environment where humans move along with nature in the most natural ways. Fujimoto explains that vibrant interplay between nature and architecture is continuously in harmony as blending the internal and external. And although its essence has manifested itself in architecture as many different forms, it is most complex precisely because it has not been realized. However wildly imaginative a project may be, it is important to believe that one day it will be built; believing that there is a nest in a cave, a space in between that merges architecture and nature as one, because such conviction can become a powerful source of energy for great architecture. Even if it is never realized, we must not fall victim to pessimism but continue to believe that our imaginative endeavors will bear fruit in one form or another someday in the future.
In Fujimoto’s “Primitive Future,” I was also able to conclude that Architecture is a constant contradiction. It requires you to look to the left, to look to the right, and not miss the important part: the in between.
First, you have to go back to where it begins: from dust, from the dark, from the roots, from when it was just an idea in somebody else’s head, from nothing that translates to everything. You have to go back, step back, to be able to appreciate and move forward.
Second, you have to be able to catch up with it [Architecture] and its’ continuous evolution; and not just catch up, but to master the art of innovation. You have to be able to recognize the “diversity of nature, the lucidity of artifice” and their significant role to serve and support each other. In Architecture, you have to be able to recreate nature without mere desperation and conscious effort to do so.
Third, we find that the grey areas, the undiscovered, the unexplored are equally, if not more interesting than the translucence of the more usual design; we find clarity between the logical and irrational—all of which can be explored in Fujimoto’s concepts of nest or cave, gradation, musical notation without the staves, house as city / city as house, nesting, prior to division, locale, architecture as cloud, garden, inside out / outside in, and exterior envelopes, among others.
Possibilities:
Fujimoto, in the book’s essence, led me to the curiosity of what would it be like, if all space has this in between, a blurred space or a gradual space within a space.It led me to feed my curiosity and find ways to create a space that would be one with nature and materiality, being true to the materials and architecture led by nature, and true to nature; a space that attracts people to move naturally and freely; a space that goes through beyond in between, a space that would build harmony with the paradigm and anti-paradigm of nature and architecture… a space for the two in- between metamorphosis, A rationality of the unknown and opening up for the new possibilities.
The future of Architecture belongs to those who go back to its’ roots, and see the infinite possibilities from both the seen and unseen spaces in between; to those who simplify and convert complexities to functional design while still maintaining the artistic mystery behind them; to those who connect the dots, or create the dots when lacking, to make something beautiful out of it – regardless how simplistic or elaborate. The future of Architecture belongs to those who understand the correlation of things, the coexistence of various life forms; to those who see utter beauty in the damaged. The future of Architecture belongs not to those who think outside the box, but to those who think without the box. There is no box, no walls – just spaces and the limitless potentials they represent.