Architecture that uses the Earth as a support

… And stringless kites, Dear Trivian

Dear Trivian,

I read an interview of Kengo Kuma’s in Architecture d’Aujourdhui about the character of places today. He talks about the way that architecture was being done in the economic boom in Tokyo in the 80s, trying to make an architecture “like a string-less kite”. And how after the bubble burst he left to the countryside and got jobs on and off. That’s when he really got to work on small-scale projects and with the people and the craftsmen and where he realized that architecture was supposed to be grounded in the Earth.

And that’s how he became Kengo Kuma.

In case you don’t know who I’m talking about, here’s a small video to get an idea:

Back to the interview. It’s just incredible to me that an architect I admire so much in his attitude towards building could have been so out of touch with his own current ideas. When he was in his thirties he was, as I understand it, doing “international style” work, like every other architect in that period. Crafting up their brand, looking good in magazines. And it was, he says, thanks to the 90s bursting of the economic bubble that he got the chance to step back from this treadmill and really start defining his current views on place and architecture.

But what was even more interesting (to me) was the fact that he started having some success in work in his thirties and then none in his forties and then… well then he became Kengo Kuma.

I am thirty. And I feel like I’m late, I should have done more by now, and I am not accomplishing enough, fast enough. Yes, I have impostor syndrome. But it’s not only that. It’s the culture around us that is constantly hammering in this individualistic you can do it attitude, like it’s all in your hands, and if you are, truly, worthy, you will succeed.

There are ups and downs of economy and trade and your niche and no matter how good you are, you could be kENGO FREAKIN Kuma, if the economy is down, you my friend will be out of work.

I don’t want to be sixty years old when I start really doing cool shit in architecture. But then again, all of the architects I can think of are at least fifty.

The reason being, this is slow-advancing shit. As you’ve seen from the previous post, there is a fair amount of elements to wrap your head around.

I started out in the business of building making because of a cool jigsaw type of plan layout I had seen at my fathers practice. It was about building in-wall storage between two rooms. I thought that was the coolest. That, and the fact that my father was thrilled at the idea of his daughter becoming an architect like him and taking over the family pride or something. It was ego boosting on both sides.

So there I went and started studying and all. You know how the rest goes. I had no preconceptions but still, I was a tad disappointed. It got worse when my dad took me to work for him.

The magic of the layout thing fizzled out quite quickly, and I wasn’t really finding an emotional grip. I spent a good couple of years in my dad’s security blanket, learning the trade and getting inspired by his steady grip on things. I still don’t know how he did that, he looked like he had everything under control. He clearly didn’t. None of us do.

When he died, that’s when it really happened. I mean, I had already started discovering my own way into the craft, knowing at least what I don’t want to do. More care for the Earth, more groundedness, more mindfulness. Less banks and office buildings. But I had always always reverted back to asking for help and counsil from him. Until one day I had no one to call anymore. It was harder than losing a father. I had done that already. I lost him twice over when I had my first real doubt in a project I was working on, a good couple of months after his death. I looked out the window and there was this vast expanse of valleys and in none of them was there a single drop of answer to my doubts.

So today I write to collect my thoughts, to forge a path, to understand.

Because, when there’s stuff I can’t wrap my head around, I can’t just call my dad anymore.

Love,

Jo

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PS. Three announcements:

1. I am thrilled to announce that the Pattern Language Graph project I had talked about last week or so will be gracefully hosted by none other that the official A Pattern Language website, the ugly one I had mentioned in the post! I like to think that Christopher Alexander would have loved this idea and the cool way his patterns look when interconnected like this. Details will follow.
2. Also, my substack friend Michael Maupin and I have chatted on the subject of Belonging to Place and, well, Christopher Alexander. Here’s the interview. Michael has a lovely blog called Story Shed where he explores the boundaries of personal history through creativity, writing, and reflection.
3. Substack’s Community website, for the Substack Writers Community Tour round-up post. It was a real joy of a project, working with lovely people throughout! Take a look:

Why writers are making their home on Substack

This post was originally published on Substack at Jo’s Epistolary.