Antifragile Museum | SLY Atelier

ANTIFRAGILE

When a building is designed, it is imagined in its most pristine state. And even when constructed, the building is depicted in its best possible condition. But as time passes, buildings deteriorate and change, no longer retaining their intended state of “perfection”. This decay may be due to weathering, constant use or complete neglect; but in any case, these imperfections are not considered or designed for. Yet, degradation is a constant; it is inherent to the built environment. Buildings then, by nature, are fragile: weakened when stressed, and only maintaining their poise because of constant human intervention and maintenance. Is it possible to use degradation as a design tool for improvement; for a building to be anti-fragile?
In order to understand how to view architecture through an antifragile lens, fragility and antifragility, within the context of this thesis, must first be understood. To start with an analogy: consider a wine glass. Since a wine glass is fragile, if dropped on the ground, it is likely to crack or break. So fragility, as defined here, is simply something that is destroyed by or deteriorated from stressors. Most people would assume that a wine glass with “anti-fragile” properties would simply hold together instead of breaking; that the glass would resist the impact: be resilient, robust or have a regenerative quality. But, this is not quite the case. In actuality, an antifragile wine glass would not only stay together, but would actually become stronger from being dropped on the ground. The stressor (the impact of the ground) would in fact improve the strength of the wine glass.
It may seem impossible, as no wine glass is actually antifragile, but antifragility exists all around is. It is part of our behavior, biology, and nearly every system that exists today. Consider going to the gym. You lift weights, and stress you muscles, however overtime, you become stronger.

PROJECT INFORMATION:

Project Location: Tokyo, Japan

Project Type: Ceramics Museum

Project Year: 2015

Status: Concept Design

   In Japan, there is a cultural appreciation for things that are rustic, which stems from Buddhist ideology. The term for this aesthetic is Shibui. Shibui describes beauty in things that are simplistic, rustic and unassuming. Shibui can be seen in things both natural and synthetic. Above is a ceramic tea cup that exhibits qualities of shibui. It is asymmetrical in shape and has inconsistent glazing giving it unusual patterns on the surface. Objects and scenes such as this can have the ability to induce wabisabi-like feelings and thoughts. Because this aesthetic exists in Japan, the Japanese, more-so than the western world, can appreciate disorder at a higher level.
       Wabisabi is a introspective reaction felt from seeing things that exhibit a shibui aesthetic. It includes feeling the weight of ones own life, thinking about your own mortality, and being reminded of impermanence in life. Seeing things that are shibui essentially remind you of the real and inherent qualities of life because they show some realness of their own. So, in Japan, disorder, in term of rusticity, can be seen as emotionally valuable because it reminds you of inherent qualities of life.
       Kintsugi is a technique of mending pottery that exists in Japan which involves lacquering the broken pieces back together with a golden adhesive. The breaks in the pottery are then apparent, allowing the history of the pottery to be shown rather than hidden. To many, the golden cracks in the pottery make it more beautiful, thus the pots disorder is seen as more valuable. In some cases, people will purposely break pottery so that it can be mended in this way.

Since Japan has an appreciation for the rustic and philosophies that note its importance, naturally, the project had to be located in Japan. After site searching, I happened upon a site in the Sumida Ward of Tokyo, Japan. This area is known for its various attractions - museums, parks and the Tokyo Sky Tree, which is the tallest tower in Japan. Therefore, 2 Chome, 7 Kamezawa is an ideal location as it associates well with the program associates well with the surrounding context and because of the excellent public transportation services.

The pièce de résistance of the building lies in the unusual exterior skin and its potential. The skin consists of two layers: an inner skin of brass panels and and outer skin of chemically hardened/treated hardwood. Over time, the woods exposure to the elements will cause them to warp and bow, revealing the brass panels below. Since the function of the building is a ceramics museum, and kintsugi treated pottery will be on display, the skin then also offers a depper connection between the building vessel and the ceramic object.