DRAWING NOTATION — PET ARCHITECTURE
Design influence: Atelier Bow Wow
Pet architecture, a concept that Atelier Bow Wow, the creative Japanese duo (Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima), produced through the findings of one typology of building throughout the city of Tokyo. As the pair were studying the architectural perspectives around Tokyo, they came across a re-occurrence of tiny live-able spaces that were unlike other buildings, igniting a curiosity to explore further, which they did in ‘Pet Architecture Guidebook’ (2002).
The spaces themselves were small, comfortable and humble, just like the familiar companions were commonly referred to as pets, hence where the term ‘pet architecture’ originated. But it was not only that these spaces were small that made them appealing and intriguing, but also that their functionality was enhanced by the users actions; the way in which a person utilises these spaces was able to determined how the building was viewed.
A vital reason behind the creation of these pets was due to the impact of the sudden urban sprawl Tokyo encountered, resulting in an immediate need for more live-able and workable spaces to accommodate. Through the research I have done into pet architecture through Tokyo, I am able to recognise that these building were not delicately designed, nor were they built for quality, but they were built under pressure, to urgently create built spaces where they could with what empty land was available; a clever practice nonetheless.
Although Sydney does not possess the exact same style of pets as Tokyo, I believe we have our own twist on these micro spaces in the form of Victorian terraces. By investigating the designs, quantities and placements of the city’s terraces, I was able to grasp the ideology that they were built narrow in width, situated claustrophobically beside the next, in order to create mass residential space, accommodating for our very own urban sprawl within the city. In more modern times these terraces have conformed into the societies needs as they are being used more commonly for shops, identifying change in activity; Sydney is now having to accommodate for the expansion of business rather than residential. As housing prices rise, people push outward to the suburbs to live, creating transformable space for the use of businesses.
Throughout their guidebook, Tsukamoto and Kaijima collate an array of Tokyo’s pets in axonometric form, with distinct, clean lines using various line weights to portray the proportions of each building. They also included, to scale, a feature, either a person or animal in close proximity to the building to reiterate the scale of these pet buildings, as well as illustrate the surrounding environment.
Through my new found understanding and interpretation of pet architecture, the way in which I view Sydney has shifted, I now view buildings within the city more for their functionality and seek the reasoning's behind why they were built the way they were. From this I can recognise the understanding designers have regarding Sydney’s urban development and their creativity behind designing appropriately for the population growth.
References:
Y. Tsukamoto and M. Kaijima, 1992, ‘Atelier Bow Wow’, Tokyo, Japan.
