Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

More than 15 years ago, I spent a year living in Basel, Switzerland, a small city with a population of about 170,000. Basel is a border town between France, Germany, and Switzerland, and is a rich international city with architecture and art at its cultural heart. It was a truly stimulating city, with residents treasuring their streetscapes and scenery, and whenever a new building was constructed, design discussions would take place in the newspapers.

The apartment I lived in in Switzerland had two rooms, a separate kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The three rooms faced a courtyard with a large tree on the north side, so it was a rich living environment where you could feel the greenery every day. Of course, the climate is different from Japan, which is a big reason, but even on the north side where there is no direct sunlight, it created a good living environment.

Let's turn our attention to the Japanese residential environment. Especially in apartment buildings, the layout is very uniform, with the living/dining room on the south side and the entrance, bathroom, and toilet on the north side. Of course, I think it is a good idea to have the living room on the south side, but it should not be done in a one-sided manner. A rich residential environment should be created by reading the environment of the place and considering an appropriate architectural design. I feel that we should consider the shape of the architecture by pursuing the topography, scenery, environment, and meaning of the place, and create a rich architectural and regional culture by arranging materials and construction methods unique to the area. Architecture is closely related to our daily lives, and I would like students to think about it as well.

(yH)

No. 1173