Raffaele Pernice
UNSW, Faculty Of The Built Environment, Faculty Member
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Architecture, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Landscape Architecture, Architectural History, Urban Design, and 22 moreArchitecture and Public Spaces, Riverfront Development, Waterfront Development, Urban Waterfronts, Urban Open Space Design, Urban Design (Urban Studies), Landscape Urbanism, Urbanism, Urban History, History of architecture, Modern Architecture, Architectural Theory, Cities, Utopian Planning, Japanese Studies, Japan, Japanese Architecture, History of Japanese architecture, landscape design and urbanism, Urban Design Theory, Architettura, City planning, and Japanese Design edit
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Raffaele Pernice is an EU licensed architect and Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Ne... moreRaffaele Pernice is an EU licensed architect and Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Urbanism at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Australia. He holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from Waseda University in Tokyo and a Laurea degree (B.Arch.+M.Arch.) from the University IUAV of Venice in Italy. He has extensive research and teaching experience in Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East, and his interests and activities lie at the nexus of architecture and urbanism, ranging from design practice through to the theory and history of architecture and city planning, with a focus on the evolution of the cities of Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. He has been the recipient of scholarships and grants from universities and national and international institutions, such as the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT), the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIUR), the Japan Foundation, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). edit
2024 FLOATING HABITAT INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM Floating as Ways of Living 28-30 May 2024 (Webinar) Synopsis This symposium/webinar aims to advance architectural and landscape knowledge on floating as ways of living, urging the study of... more
2024 FLOATING HABITAT INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM Floating as Ways of Living 28-30 May 2024 (Webinar) Synopsis This symposium/webinar aims to advance architectural and landscape knowledge on floating as ways of living, urging the study of natural and artificial (modern/vernacular) floating habitats in the broadest sense. The debate will be of interdisciplinary interest, offering a new critical ecological-cultural gaze at floating landscapes from different lenses: from historical examples to contemporary design-based proposals, from the Metabolists’ theory of marine cities to contemporary socio-political urgency in the Anthropocene highlighted by the current threats of climate change and the constraints of a post-industrial and post-consumerist society. This symposium holds that floating islands (both as natural and artificial artifacts, but also as an abstract idea) are a concrete and powerful representative habitat of today's interrelatedness facing contemporary global radical changes and challenges. Participants and discussants are esteemed international scholars, academics and practitioners from different backgrounds and geographical areas, covering an incredible spectrum of perspectives and expertise on floating habitats. Their contributions to this event will deepen the scientific and academic comprehension of this urgent and timely topic. The symposium is co-organized by UNSW Sydney (Australia) and Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Curated and co-chaired by: Raffaele Pernice (UNSW Sydney) and Leonardo Zuccaro Marchi (PoliMI).
Research Interests:
This edited volume reviews important contemporary issues through relevant case studies and research in China and Australia, such as the challenges posed by climate change, the development of eco-urban design, research on sustainable... more
This edited volume reviews important contemporary issues through relevant case studies and research in China and Australia, such as the challenges posed by climate change, the development of eco-urban design, research on sustainable habitats and the relationship between ecology, green architecture and city regeneration, as well as, in general, the future of the city in the new millennium.
The authors represent a broad selection of international experts, young scholars and established academics who discuss themes related to urban–rural destruction and economic and spatial regeneration techniques, the sustainable reconversion of natural landscapes and eco-urban design in the context of the current evolution of architectural and urbanism practice. The book aims to explain the conditions in which the contemporary debate about urban regeneration and rural revitalisation has developed in Australia and China, presented by different theoretical and methodological perspectives. It also provides a multifaceted and critical analysis of relevant case studies and urban experiences in Australia and China, focusing on environmental disruption, resized urban interventions and the need for more efficient and sustainable forms of regeneration and urban renewal practice in urban–rural contexts.
This book will be an invaluable resource for architects, planners, architectural and urban historians, geographers, and scholars interested in modern Australian and Chinese architecture and urbanism.
The authors represent a broad selection of international experts, young scholars and established academics who discuss themes related to urban–rural destruction and economic and spatial regeneration techniques, the sustainable reconversion of natural landscapes and eco-urban design in the context of the current evolution of architectural and urbanism practice. The book aims to explain the conditions in which the contemporary debate about urban regeneration and rural revitalisation has developed in Australia and China, presented by different theoretical and methodological perspectives. It also provides a multifaceted and critical analysis of relevant case studies and urban experiences in Australia and China, focusing on environmental disruption, resized urban interventions and the need for more efficient and sustainable forms of regeneration and urban renewal practice in urban–rural contexts.
This book will be an invaluable resource for architects, planners, architectural and urban historians, geographers, and scholars interested in modern Australian and Chinese architecture and urbanism.
Research Interests:
Design, Architecture, Climate Change, Cultural Heritage, Chinese Studies, and 13 moreHeritage Studies, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Urban Regeneration, Australia, Urban Studies, China, Australian History, City planning, Urban Design, City and Regional Planning, Arquitetura e Urbanismo, and Waterfront Regeneration
In this book chapter, authors will reflect on the challenges, advantages, and pitfalls of the blended teaching in 2 architectural design studios jointly organized by an Australian and a Japanese university, highlighting key considerations... more
In this book chapter, authors will reflect on the challenges, advantages, and pitfalls of the blended teaching in 2 architectural design studios jointly organized by an Australian and a Japanese university, highlighting key considerations ranging from the variety of learning and teaching on campus and virtual practices, to the design of assessments and related feedback, and the use of various on-line communication and graphic platforms implemented for teaching and learning (Teams, Zoom, Miro, Concept-board). They will also give an account of the experience and direct involvement of both students and faculty during the lock-down, and how flexibility and adaptability to the use of new technologies on their parts has resulted in a valuable experience at least for what concerns international design studios cooperation. As is common practice in architectural schools, the 2 joint design studios focused on different scale of representation and design, exploring issues and characteristics from the territorial to local scales.
Research Interests:
Edited by Raffaele Pernice. Routledge (March 2022) https://www.routledge.com/The-Urbanism-of-Metabolism-Visions-Scenarios-and-Models-for-the-Mutant/Pernice/p/book/9781032030739 This edited book explores and promotes reflection on how the... more
Edited by Raffaele Pernice. Routledge (March 2022)
https://www.routledge.com/The-Urbanism-of-Metabolism-Visions-Scenarios-and-Models-for-the-Mutant/Pernice/p/book/9781032030739
This edited book explores and promotes reflection on how the lessons of Metabolism experience can inform current debate on city making and future practice in architectural design and urban planning. Sixty years after the Metabolist manifesto was first published in Tokyo, the author’s original contributions highlight the persistent links between present and past that can help to re-imagine new urban futures as well as the design of innovative intra-urban relationships and spaces.
The essays are written by distinguished scholars and renowned academics from Japan, Australia, Europe, South Korea and the United States and expose Metabolism’s special merits in promoting new urban models and evaluate the current legacy of its architectural projects and urban design lessons. They offer a critical, intellectual, and up-to-date account of the Metabolism projects and ideas with regard to the current evolution of architectural and urbanism discourse in a global context.
The collection of cross-disciplinary contributions in this volume will be of great interest to architects, architectural and urban historians, as well as academics, scholars and students in built environment disciplines and Japanese cultural studies.
The research activity to produce this book has been supported with a series of research grants awarded by the Japan Foundation and UNSW Sydney - School of Built Environment in the period 2019-2021.
https://www.routledge.com/The-Urbanism-of-Metabolism-Visions-Scenarios-and-Models-for-the-Mutant/Pernice/p/book/9781032030739
This edited book explores and promotes reflection on how the lessons of Metabolism experience can inform current debate on city making and future practice in architectural design and urban planning. Sixty years after the Metabolist manifesto was first published in Tokyo, the author’s original contributions highlight the persistent links between present and past that can help to re-imagine new urban futures as well as the design of innovative intra-urban relationships and spaces.
The essays are written by distinguished scholars and renowned academics from Japan, Australia, Europe, South Korea and the United States and expose Metabolism’s special merits in promoting new urban models and evaluate the current legacy of its architectural projects and urban design lessons. They offer a critical, intellectual, and up-to-date account of the Metabolism projects and ideas with regard to the current evolution of architectural and urbanism discourse in a global context.
The collection of cross-disciplinary contributions in this volume will be of great interest to architects, architectural and urban historians, as well as academics, scholars and students in built environment disciplines and Japanese cultural studies.
The research activity to produce this book has been supported with a series of research grants awarded by the Japan Foundation and UNSW Sydney - School of Built Environment in the period 2019-2021.
Research Interests:
Architecture, Japanese Language And Culture, Sustainable Development, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, and 12 moreArchitectural Theory, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Architecture, City planning, Utopia, Japanese Architecture, Architectural Design, Urban Design, Tokyo, Urban theory, Kenzo Tange, and Kisho Kurokawa
The frantic urbanisation and modernisation process of China in the last 30 years has been an extraordinary process in the recent history of humanity. It has led to a huge restructuring of China’s pre-existent urban fabrics and the... more
The frantic urbanisation and modernisation process of China in the last 30 years has been an extraordinary process in the recent history of humanity. It has led to a huge restructuring of China’s pre-existent urban fabrics and the progressive reshaping of its city forms, inner structure and urban landscapes. One striking aspect of this process has been the impetuous growth of vast zones of new high-rise residential superblocks and busy commercial, industrial, and business districts extensively interconnected by massive mobility arteries in the suburban areas around the major cities. This enormous infrastructure development has been paired with rapid modernization of obsolete industrial factories. Both of these processes have led to unprecedented urbanisation in this part of the world in both scale and rapidity, resulting in ballooning cities whose growth is fuelled by a new class of urbanites and increasing intakes of rural immigrants. This has caused what seems an irreversible alteration of the traditional historical districts and buildings and subsequent progressive loss of memory and precious cultural and historical heritages. The city of Suzhou, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-protected heritage site located in Jiangsu Province with over 2,500 years of history, well represents this trend of radical transformation. Suzhou is a by-product of the globalisation rush common to many other Chinese cities, in which the coexistence of complex and contradictory socio-economic phenomena has shaped and directed the genesis of a new built environment. Suzhou’s development is driven by fascination with a consumerist lifestyle, as expressed by the contemporary promethean verticality of the skyline of towers; the new built environment aims to protect a more effective equilibrium between the preservation of traditional landscapes and urban cultures.
The chapter provides an overview and comments on the global–local dichotomy in contemporary Suzhou, how international urban and architectonic models have affected the local cultural history and urban and architectonical traditions, and how the theme of verticality—the dichotomy of modernity and tradition—in this city somewhat mirrors a larger trend in Chinese and other East Asian cities.
The chapter provides an overview and comments on the global–local dichotomy in contemporary Suzhou, how international urban and architectonic models have affected the local cultural history and urban and architectonical traditions, and how the theme of verticality—the dichotomy of modernity and tradition—in this city somewhat mirrors a larger trend in Chinese and other East Asian cities.
Research Interests:
The architects and designers of the Metabolist Group are the well-known authors of a series of bold projects and utopian visions of futuristic cities and technological architectures which spread from Japan to the world from the early... more
The architects and designers of the Metabolist Group are the well-known authors of a series of bold projects and utopian visions of futuristic cities and technological architectures which spread from Japan to the world from the early 1960s. Indeed the city of Tokyo was the cradle of this burst of creativity and ambition to reshape the form of the modern city, and it was primarily the frantic change of her mutating urban environment which inspired the urban visions of a group of young professionals and critics with the tacit support of the cultural elites and the economic and political powers. This study investigates the links between Metabolism and the cultural and socio-economic context of post-war Japan, and contributes to a further understanding of the origins of the most relevant concepts and ideas behind the several projects for “Marine Cities”, “Cities in the Sky”, “Capsule Architectures” and “Artificial Land” which had a fundamental impact on the architectural discourse of the period. This book will be of interest to architects, scholars and anyone else interested in modern Japanese architecture and architectural and urban history.
Research Interests:
Japanese Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban History, Metabolism, and 20 moreUrban Planning, Japanese History, Modern and Contemporary Japan, Design Process (Architecture), Architectural History, Urban Studies, Urbanism, Architectural Theory, Modern Architecture, Landscape Urbanism, - Architecture history, Urban Design (Urban Studies), History of architecture, Urban Design, Architecture and urbanism, Urbanismo, Architettura, Architecture and Urban Planning, Metabolist Movement, and Architectural Theory and Design
Research Interests:
Asian Studies, Architecture, Chinese Studies, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, and 11 moreArchitectural History, Urban Studies, East Asian Studies, Urbanism, China, Architectural Theory, Urban And Regional Planning, Contemporary China, Contemporary Chinese Architecture, Urban Design, and Architecture and Public Spaces
Book review of: Japanese Gardens and Landscapes, 1650–1950, Wybe Kuitert, Philadelphia, Pa: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016, x, pp.373 + notes, index, ISBN: 978-0-812-24474-8, hb http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/15578.html
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Post-independence architects of Sri Lanka practicing after 1948 reinterpreted outdoor transitional spaces such as verandahs and courtyards integral to traditional houses, which were multifunctional living and circulation spaces that... more
Post-independence architects of Sri Lanka practicing after 1948 reinterpreted outdoor transitional spaces such as verandahs and courtyards integral to traditional houses, which were multifunctional living and circulation spaces that created physical and social interactions and thresholds. This paper considers four selected precedents: two case studies of single-unit urban house designs of pioneering Sri Lankan architects with modernist influence as examples for 1950s and 60s houses in comparison with two case studies of traditional house types. The study explores the change in spatial patterns through graphical analysis of plan forms to understand the shift in socio-spatial role. In post-independence Sri Lankan modernist houses, the multifunctional role of semi-outdoor spaces common to traditional houses changed to a single function in most spaces with fewer connections to other living areas. Outdoor spaces, previously free and undefined, were incorporated in the house with designated functions from gardens to lightwells to utility. Compared to the traditional typologies, the modernist influenced urban house examples exhibit a considerable change in spatial patterns affecting the socio-spatial role of outdoor transitional spaces.
Research Interests:
Suzhou is a city that well represents the trend present in several other medium-to-large Chinese cities, which are constantly redesigning their urban environment to adapt to the great challenges of a global economy in 21st century, while... more
Suzhou is a city that well represents the trend present in several other medium-to-large Chinese cities, which are constantly redesigning their urban environment to adapt to the great challenges of a global economy in 21st century, while trying to balance their ancient history with the needs of a modern society. Two large-scale urban projects have recently drastically reshaped Suzhou skyline and urban structure, namely the development of SSIP - Suzhou Singapore Industrial Park and SND - Suzhou New District, and among the several urban elements that have emerged and are having a great impact on the daily life of the citizens there is the presence of multi-functional neighborhood centers. The Neighborhood Center as a new urban element and architectural functional space in China has Singaporean origins and should be designed to adapt the Chinese urban and social-cultural context. In the last 20 years of urban development, the Neighborhood Centers in SND and SSIP have been the main life centers for local residents and immigrants. The architecture forms and the functions of the Neighborhood Center are also in progressive evolution, from the very early stage used as a service center to the most recent use as commercial complex in the latest versions. This paper discusses some elements that have promoted the current urban redevelopment of Suzhou in the last decades and it will explore the local adaption of the international model of this urban and architectonic element, and how it has derived and adapted from the Western culture to fulfill the needs of SSIP’s context.
Research Interests:
Urban Geography, Architecture, Chinese Studies, Landscape Architecture, Urban History, and 15 moreUrban Planning, Architectural History, Urbanism, China, Architectural Theory, Landscape Urbanism, Urban And Regional Planning, Contemporary China, History of architecture, City planning, Urban Design, City and Regional Planning, Architecture and urbanism, Architecture and Public Spaces, and History of Architecture
The impressive urban growth of China in the last few decades has been largely based on a sustained and state-sponsored economic development which by financing infrastructure development, fostering industrial and manufacturing production,... more
The impressive urban growth of China in the last few decades has been largely based on a sustained and state-sponsored economic development which by financing infrastructure development, fostering industrial and manufacturing production, and promoting an aggressive campaign to modernize the country, has deliberately pursued economic and social policies aimed at concentrating activities and people and reshaping and redesign many urban areas of the cities, with the result that the urban landscapes are changing rapidly, with mixed results, but at the cost of neglecting the safeguarding of the genuine spirit and still valuable features of the local places. Reflecting on the recent urban transformation in Suzhou, the paper intends to stress the importance of re-learning the lessons taught by a few highly influential architects and planners, and how the rediscovery of their theses and principles could be a precious resource to look at in order to initiate a different discourse on the design of vibrant, meaningful and beautiful urban spaces more in tune with the local identity.
Research Interests:
The unprecedented pace of urbanization and modernization of China in the last three decades has led to a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and the progressive reshaping of the city form, its inner structure and urban... more
The unprecedented pace of urbanization and modernization of China in the last three decades has led to a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and the progressive reshaping of the city form, its inner structure and urban landscape, by promoting the growth of many new high-rise residential superblocks and suburban commercial, industrial, and business districts built around major Chinese cities. Famous for the UNESCO protected urban gardens, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of history. Like in many Chinese cities, the low-rise urban landscape of the old city clashes visually with the verticality of the contemporary built environment, especially evident in the new residential urban zones of Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). Focusing on four selected case studies of large-scale housing projects in SIP, the paper explores how these new residential communities have engaged the themes of verticality and high-density living to create extensive constellations of modern but uniform high...
Research Interests:
Focusing on the forgotten lessons and potential legacy of the urban projects proposed by the Japanese avant-garde architectural movement of Metabolism, which emerged in the 1960s, and on the critical and comparative study of large-scale... more
Focusing on the forgotten lessons and potential legacy of the urban projects proposed by the Japanese avant-garde architectural movement of Metabolism, which emerged in the 1960s, and on the critical and comparative study of large-scale waterfront regeneration and design in Tokyo and Sydney, two education and research projects were initiated at UNSW-School of the Built Environment in 2019 and 2021, with the aim of looking at the future of the city in an age of climate change, global warming and rising sea levels. Structured around a variety of international workshops, joint design studios, collaborative archive and documentary reviews, multi-disciplinary seminars, and international symposia, with the participation of national and international academics and scholars, both research projects are currently in progress, with the support of competitive research grants from the Japan Foundation, the Australia–Japan Foundation (AJF), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Geography, Architecture, Urban History, Metabolism, Urban Planning, and 14 moreArchitectural History, Urban Studies, Architectural Theory, Japanese Architecture, Urban Design, Tokyo, Kenzo Tange, Tokyo Bay, Metabolist Movement, Marine City, Urban Utopias, Reclaimed Land, Bay, and Architecture Planning
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Japanese Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban History, Japanese History, and 15 moreArchitectural History, Urbanism, Architectural Theory, Modern Architecture, Japan, Urban Development, Japanese Architecture, Architectural Design, Urban Design, Tokyo, Architettura, Engineering Technology, Megalopolis, Tokaido Megalopolis, and Japanese City
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Japanese Studies, Art History, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Metabolism, and 15 morePolitical Science, Architectural History, Architectural Theory, Modern Architecture, Landscape Urbanism, Sustainable Architecture, History of architecture, City planning, Japanese Architecture, Urban Design, Metabolist Movement, Kisho Kurokawa, Architecture and Public Spaces, History of Architecture, and Megastructures
Research Interests:
The architects and designers of the Metabolist Group are the well-known authors of a series of bold projects and utopian visions of futuristic cities and technological architectures which spread from Japan to the world from the early... more
The architects and designers of the Metabolist Group are the well-known authors of a series of bold projects and utopian visions of futuristic cities and technological architectures which spread from Japan to the world from the early 1960s. Indeed the city of Tokyo was the cradle of this burst of creativity and ambition to reshape the form of the modern city, and it was primarily the frantic change of her mutating urban environment which inspired the urban visions of a group of young professionals and critics with the tacit support of the cultural elites and the economic and political powers. This study investigates the links between Metabolism and the cultural and socio-economic context of post-war Japan, and contributes to a further understanding of the origins of the most relevant concepts and ideas behind the several projects for “Marine Cities”, “Cities in the Sky”, “Capsule Architectures” and “Artificial Land” which had a fundamental impact on the architectural discourse of th...
The aim of this short paper is to introduce some open-ended considerations on the process of formation and evolution of the modern Japanese urban landscape in the second half of the 20 th century, a process that unfolded since the end of... more
The aim of this short paper is to introduce some open-ended considerations on the process of formation and evolution of the modern Japanese urban landscape in the second half of the 20 th century, a process that unfolded since the end of the WWII and heavily relied on the outcomes of the economic growth and social mutation based on the technological innovation and infrastructural development. The peculiar and distinctive urban landscape of modern Japanese cities resulted by the combination of innovation of foreign origins and also by the re-interpretation of some elements of the local culture and aesthetic tradition. The extreme fragmentation and the patchwork like nature of the urban tissue of most of the Japanese cites is linked to the frantic pace of changes and the overlapping of eclectic forms, dense functions and mixed activities which combine and integrate with the use of a new aesthetic language based on the acceptance of the power of change of the latest technologies. Legac...
Research Interests:
Geography, Urban Geography, Japanese Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and 15 moreInfrastructure Planning, Urban Planning, Modern and Contemporary Japan, Architectural History, Urban Studies, Architectural Theory, Japan, Landscape Urbanism, Urban And Regional Planning, Urban Landscape, Town planning, Japanese Architecture, Architectural Design, Urban Design, and Sociologia Urbana
Arts, Culture and the Making of Global Cities: Creating New Urban Landscapes in Asia, Lily Kong, Ching Chao-ho and Chou Tsu-Lung, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 2015, 272 pp., £80 (hbk), ISBN: 9781849801768Authors Lily Kong (National... more
Arts, Culture and the Making of Global Cities: Creating New Urban Landscapes in Asia, Lily Kong, Ching Chao-ho and Chou Tsu-Lung, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 2015, 272 pp., £80 (hbk), ISBN: 9781849801768Authors Lily Kong (National University of Singapore), Ching Chia-Ho and Chou Tsu-Lung (National University of Taipei) effectively outline in the introductory part of this book their overall intent: to explain how and to what extent some cultural and urban strategies are effective tools to promote the globalisation of cities in East Asia. Their book is the result of over five years' intensive research and investigation into the impact of globalisation on leading and promoting the reshaping and redevelopment of the built environment of the modern city in the Far East. As the title clearly states, the focus of their study is on the urban transformation of vast inner urban zones driven by the profound impact that art, cultural projects and creative industries have on the evolution of t...
Research Interests:
This paper briefly revisits and discusses the legacy of most of the iconic mega-structural projects of Japanese Metabolist Movement and other visionary architects and planners of the 1960s, such as Paolo Soleri, Buckminster Fuller,... more
This paper briefly revisits and discusses the legacy of most of the iconic mega-structural projects of Japanese Metabolist Movement and other visionary architects and planners of the 1960s, such as Paolo Soleri, Buckminster Fuller, Archigram. It attempts to enlighten the continuity with contemporary innovative and experimental urban models and ideas for the society and city of the future, such as the Smart Cities, Eco-Cities, Green Urbanism, whose design is led by concerns related to climate change, the necessity of energy efficiency, the improvement of urban landscape and the valorization of depleted natural resources. The decade of the 1960s was a stage where many transformation and changes occurred. The Cold War and the Space Race, the social revolt of the students and the postwar economic prosperity with unprecedented urban growth followed by a severe environmental crisis. All these factors promoted the design of new spectacular utopian cities and megaarchitecture conceived as u...
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The aim of this paper is to provide a short but comprehensive overview of the historical evolution of the concepts of the “artificial urban island” and “marine city” devised and developed in the context of Japanese architecture and urban... more
The aim of this paper is to provide a short but comprehensive overview of the historical evolution of the concepts of the “artificial urban island” and “marine city” devised and developed in the context of Japanese architecture and urban planning during the second-half of the twentieth century. These concepts were a consequence of the severe shortage of buildable land for new industrial and freight complexes, as well as for housing and public facilities. From the futuristic urban morphologies of Metabolism and Kenzo Tange’s plans, which developed as polemic rejection of late modernist architectural principles, to the engineering approach of official government planning schemes, based on the provision of massive-scale public infrastructures, this study is a chronological survey of the main marine city projects conceived in Japan during the last 4 decades. This paper further analyzes and highlights the connection between the urban forms and planning paradigms of the artificial islands...
Research Interests:
This paper focuses on the striking contrast between the memory of the traditional architectural and urban elements of Korea and the characters of the contemporary urban landscape which is essentially composed by new high density... more
This paper focuses on the striking contrast between the memory of the traditional architectural and urban elements of Korea and the characters of the contemporary urban landscape which is essentially composed by new high density collective housing complexes integrated with new urban facilities and well maintained green public spaces. It briefly addresses some important issues related with the development of contemporary Korean urbanism, such as the influence of political decision and other economic factors over social aspects of the planning process, the relation between the plans of recent new towns aimed at the creation of a network of modern, technologically advanced and efficient multi-functional urban clusters, designed and built to foster the formation of a larger super-urban structure in the country to better compete in the global economy and stimulate the national economy, and the consolidation of the Korean middle class.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The unprecedented pace of urbanization and modernization of China in the last three decades has led to a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and the progressive reshaping of the city form, its inner structure and urban... more
The unprecedented pace of urbanization and modernization of China in the last three decades has led to a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and the progressive reshaping of the city form, its inner structure and urban landscape, by promoting the growth of many new high-rise residential superblocks and suburban commercial, industrial, and business districts built around major Chinese cities. Famous for the UNESCO protected urban gardens, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of history. Like in many Chinese cities, the low-rise urban landscape of the old city clashes visually with the verticality of the contemporary built environment, especially evident in the new residential urban zones of Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). Focusing on four selected case studies of large-scale housing projects in SIP, the paper explores how these new residential communities have engaged the themes of verticality and high-density living to create extensive constellations of modern but uniform high-rise urban communities. It also considers how and comment about the contradictions within this acontextual modern urban landscape, which mirror to some extent a larger trend in Chinese and other East Asian cities, in a phase of exceptional urban development and economic growth at the turn of the 21st century.
Research Interests:
Multi-disciplinary teaching and learning is an emerging innovative educational form which harbours significant promise in terms of improving students’ study experiences and practitioner’s pedagogic practice in an era of higher... more
Multi-disciplinary teaching and learning is an
emerging innovative educational form which harbours
significant promise in terms of improving students’
study experiences and practitioner’s pedagogic
practice in an era of higher education massification
typified in many places by increased numbers of L2
subject language learners. Drawing on some examples
from four Joint Delivery modules which are currently
offered at Xi’an Jiao Tong-Liverpool University
(XJTLU) this paper provides a reflective and thought
provoking discussion on the form, format and
pedagogy currently underpinning some of the multidisciplinary teaching and learning experiences offered
at this internationally emerging institution and
proposes suggestions for good practice in terms of
taking them forward in future years. These five credit
modules offered in semester two of undergraduate
students first year at Xi’an Jiao Tong-Liverpool
University are supported by university’ staff from the
School of Film and Television Arts, the departments of
English, Culture and Communication (ECC) and
Urban Planning and Design (UPD), as well as the
Language Centre (LC). Now into their fifth year, the
modules have also undergone some reasonably
substantial developments in terms of the syllabus,
delivery pattern, content, learning space and staffing.
In addition, ICT has also played a much greater role
with the advancement of time. This paper will
therefore highlight some of the evolutionary changes
designed to enhance student learning whilst also
illustrating how the courses are increasingly
innovative.
emerging innovative educational form which harbours
significant promise in terms of improving students’
study experiences and practitioner’s pedagogic
practice in an era of higher education massification
typified in many places by increased numbers of L2
subject language learners. Drawing on some examples
from four Joint Delivery modules which are currently
offered at Xi’an Jiao Tong-Liverpool University
(XJTLU) this paper provides a reflective and thought
provoking discussion on the form, format and
pedagogy currently underpinning some of the multidisciplinary teaching and learning experiences offered
at this internationally emerging institution and
proposes suggestions for good practice in terms of
taking them forward in future years. These five credit
modules offered in semester two of undergraduate
students first year at Xi’an Jiao Tong-Liverpool
University are supported by university’ staff from the
School of Film and Television Arts, the departments of
English, Culture and Communication (ECC) and
Urban Planning and Design (UPD), as well as the
Language Centre (LC). Now into their fifth year, the
modules have also undergone some reasonably
substantial developments in terms of the syllabus,
delivery pattern, content, learning space and staffing.
In addition, ICT has also played a much greater role
with the advancement of time. This paper will
therefore highlight some of the evolutionary changes
designed to enhance student learning whilst also
illustrating how the courses are increasingly
innovative.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The aim of this short paper is to introduce some open-ended considerations on the process of formation and evolution of the modern Japanese urban landscape in the second half of the 20th century, a process that unfolded since the end of... more
The aim of this short paper is to introduce some open-ended considerations on the process of formation and evolution of the modern Japanese urban landscape in the second half of the 20th century, a process that unfolded since the end of the WWII and heavily relied on the outcomes of the economic growth and social mutation based on the technological innovation and infrastructural development. The peculiar and distinctive urban landscape of modern Japanese cities resulted by the combination of innovation of foreign origins and also by the re-interpretation of some elements of the local culture and aesthetic tradition. The extreme fragmentation and the patchwork like nature of the urban tissue of most of the Japanese cites is linked to the frantic pace of changes and the overlapping of eclectic forms, dense functions and mixed activities which combine and integrate with the use of a new aesthetic language based on the acceptance of the power of change of the latest technologies.
Research Interests:
Urban Geography, Japanese Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Infrastructure Planning, and 15 moreUrban Planning, Modern and Contemporary Japan, Architectural History, Urban Studies, Architectural Theory, Japan, Landscape Urbanism, Urban And Regional Planning, Urban Design (Urban Studies), Urban Landscape, Town planning, Japanese Architecture, Architectural Design, Urban Design, and Sociologia Urbana
... From the futuristic urban morphologies of Metabolism and Kenzo Tange's plans, which developed as polemic rejection of late modernist architectural principles, to the engineering approach of official government planning... more
... From the futuristic urban morphologies of Metabolism and Kenzo Tange's plans, which developed as polemic rejection of late modernist architectural principles, to the engineering approach of official government planning schemes, based on the provision of massive-scale ...
Research Interests:
This paper focuses on the striking contrast between the memory of the traditional architectural and urban elements of Korea and the characters of the contemporary urban landscape which is essentially composed by new high density... more
This paper focuses on the striking contrast between the memory of the traditional architectural and urban elements of Korea and the characters of the contemporary urban landscape which is essentially composed by new high density collective housing complexes integrated with new urban facilities and well maintained green public spaces. It briefly addresses some important issues related with the development of contemporary Korean urbanism, such as the influence of political decision and other economic factors over social aspects of the planning process, the relation between the plans of recent new towns aimed at the creation of a network of modern, technologically advanced and efficient multi-functional urban clusters, designed and built to foster the formation of a larger super-urban structure in the country to better compete in the global economy and stimulate the national economy, and the consolidation of the Korean middle class.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Japanese Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban History, Metabolism, and 15 moreJapanese History, Modern and Contemporary Japan, Architectural History, Architectural Theory, Modern Architecture, Landscape Urbanism, Architecture History, History of architecture, Urban Design, Architecture and urbanism, Architettura, Architecture and Urban Planning, Metabolist Movement, Architectural Theory and Design, and History of Architecture
Research Interests:
The purpose of this study is to analyze the urban schemes and theories developed by Metabolism in the period between 1958 and 1964, a period which saw the economic miracle of Japan, and to relate them in the context of the main... more
The purpose of this study is to analyze the urban schemes and theories developed by Metabolism in the period between 1958 and 1964, a period which saw the economic miracle of Japan, and to relate them in the context of the main international urban design theories ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
The impressive urban growth of China in the last few decades has been largely based on a sustained and state-sponsored economic development which by financing infrastructure development, fostering industrial and manufacturing production,... more
The impressive urban growth of China in the last few decades has been largely based on a sustained and state-sponsored economic development which by financing infrastructure development, fostering industrial and manufacturing production, and promoting an aggressive campaign to modernize the country, has deliberately pursued economic and social policies aimed at concentrating activities and people and reshaping and redesign many urban areas of the cities, with the result that the urban landscapes are changing rapidly, with mixed results, but at the cost of neglecting the safeguarding of the genuine spirit and still valuable features of the local places. Reflecting on the recent urban transformation in Suzhou, the paper intends to stress the importance of re-learning the lessons taught by a few highly influential architects and planners, and how the rediscovery of their theses and principles could be a precious resource to look at in order to initiate a different discourse on the design of vibrant, meaningful and beautiful urban spaces more in tune with the local identity.
Research Interests:
The paper attempts to outline the urban visions and architectural ideas and vocabulary behind the formation of the large urban conglomeration in Japan, South Korea and China, and how the seeds of Western planning theories and... more
The paper attempts to outline the urban visions and architectural ideas and vocabulary behind the formation of the large urban conglomeration in Japan, South Korea and China, and how the seeds of Western planning theories and architectural design practice have helped shaping and building the contemporary cites along the vast regions of Asia Pacific Region, and frame a local language in envisioning the city of the future.
Reflecting on the contributions from East Asia to the discourse of planning and design a city for the future as promoted by single actors, larger cultural movements and national elites fostering economic ambitions and political agendas of autocratic forces (e.g. from the experimental cities by the Metabolists in Japan, to the more “pragmatic” urban development projects fostered by local and national governments in South Korea and China), the paper tries to explain the key socio-economic factors and engines which have dramatically and radically transformed the skylines of the most dynamic and growing influential area of the world at the dawn of 21st century; it also aims at describe the origins of the various forms and elements of the modern built environments which have been shaped and molded by these same forces, and how/whether these urban forms embodies a true genuine East Asian vision of the city of the future, and what is the current trend in terms of new urban forms and architectural design research at the beginning of 21st century.
Reflecting on the contributions from East Asia to the discourse of planning and design a city for the future as promoted by single actors, larger cultural movements and national elites fostering economic ambitions and political agendas of autocratic forces (e.g. from the experimental cities by the Metabolists in Japan, to the more “pragmatic” urban development projects fostered by local and national governments in South Korea and China), the paper tries to explain the key socio-economic factors and engines which have dramatically and radically transformed the skylines of the most dynamic and growing influential area of the world at the dawn of 21st century; it also aims at describe the origins of the various forms and elements of the modern built environments which have been shaped and molded by these same forces, and how/whether these urban forms embodies a true genuine East Asian vision of the city of the future, and what is the current trend in terms of new urban forms and architectural design research at the beginning of 21st century.
Research Interests:
Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Architecture, Urban History, Korean Studies, and 13 moreUrban Planning, Architectural History, Urban Studies, Urbanism, China, Architectural Theory, Japanese Architecture, Urban Design, City and Regional Planning, Korea, Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Smart City, and Storia Della Città e Del Territorio
Asia Pacific cities are constantly transforming and redesigning their urban environment to adapt to the great challenges of a global economy in 21st century, effortless are trying to balance their ancient history with the needs of a... more
Asia Pacific cities are constantly transforming and redesigning their urban environment to adapt to the great challenges of a global economy in 21st century, effortless are trying to balance their ancient history with the needs of a modern society driven by a spectacular economic growth.
Whilst the Japanese archipelago has been virtually transformed into a super-conurbation called Megalopolis of Tokaido originated in the 1960s, an extensive and hyper-connected territory of high-density residential urban tissues and heterogeneous industrial zones developed in a sort of continuous and decentralized multi-polar urban entity, South Korea population live mostly in a sort of “Republic of Apartments”, whose modern smart cities are formed mostly by clusters of dense residential compounds.
More recently China has planned and operated on a much larger scale the construction of new towns and many vast and dense new residential and business districts in the suburban areas around the major cities, in order to promote a modern urban lifestyle by supporting a gigantic industrial development and fuel an unprecedented economic growth and epochal process of urbanization.
This paper intends to present an outline of the processes and forces which led to the development of current mass-residential models in Japan, China and South Korea in order to provide their growing middle class with adequate and modern housing. In doing so it looks at which urban forms, typologies, and design solutions have been implemented to satisfy this demand, underlining similar and different conditions, and the general outcomes related to each specific process of urbanization.
Whilst the Japanese archipelago has been virtually transformed into a super-conurbation called Megalopolis of Tokaido originated in the 1960s, an extensive and hyper-connected territory of high-density residential urban tissues and heterogeneous industrial zones developed in a sort of continuous and decentralized multi-polar urban entity, South Korea population live mostly in a sort of “Republic of Apartments”, whose modern smart cities are formed mostly by clusters of dense residential compounds.
More recently China has planned and operated on a much larger scale the construction of new towns and many vast and dense new residential and business districts in the suburban areas around the major cities, in order to promote a modern urban lifestyle by supporting a gigantic industrial development and fuel an unprecedented economic growth and epochal process of urbanization.
This paper intends to present an outline of the processes and forces which led to the development of current mass-residential models in Japan, China and South Korea in order to provide their growing middle class with adequate and modern housing. In doing so it looks at which urban forms, typologies, and design solutions have been implemented to satisfy this demand, underlining similar and different conditions, and the general outcomes related to each specific process of urbanization.
Research Interests:
Introduction Multidisciplinary teaching and learning is an emerging innovative educational form which harbours significant promise in terms of improving students' study experiences and practitioner's pedagogic practice in an era of higher... more
Introduction Multidisciplinary teaching and learning is an emerging innovative educational form which harbours significant promise in terms of improving students' study experiences and practitioner's pedagogic practice in an era of higher education massification typified in many places by increased numbers of L2 subject language learners. Drawing on examples from four Joint Delivery modules which are currently offered at Xi'an Jiao Tong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) this paper provides a reflective and thought provoking discussion on the form, format and pedagogy currently underpinning some of the multidisciplinary teaching and learning experiences offered at this internationally emerging institution and proposes suggestions for good practice in terms of taking them forward in future years.
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The period which coincided with the massive reconstruction after the end of WW II and the consequent economic boom which protracted till the early 1970s was one of the rare occasion when sustained economic investments and new research on... more
The period which coincided with the massive reconstruction after the end of WW II and the consequent economic boom which protracted till the early 1970s was one of the rare occasion when sustained economic investments and new research on new models of urban residential schemes were developed in the developed world, foremost in Europe and Japan, in order to redesign the cities and restructure the expanding suburban peripheries. Dutch architect John Habraken and his fellows of the group SAR, as solution to the fast urbanization developed innovative methods for the mass production of housing which combined the attention to the value of individual choice with the aspiration to a higher degree of variety and livability of the built environment. Simultaneously and in the same spirit the Japanese Metabolists promoted a new bold technological language in architecture, which will inspire the post-modern megastructural movement of the period, in order to create new urban forms for the society of the Atomic Age, trying to combine modernity and some elements of the traditional national culture. By focusing on the specific contribution and theoretical concepts promoted by John Habraken and the members of the Metabolist Group in their efforts to resolve the problems of housing shortage in the city in their respective contexts, the paper briefly outlines the key elements of their design approach as proposed in post war Europe and Japan during a phase of fast urban and economic growth.
Research Interests:
The aim of this short paper is to introduce some open-ended considerations on the process of formation and evolution of the modern Japanese urban landscape in the second half of the 20th century, a process that unfolded since the end of... more
The aim of this short paper is to introduce some open-ended considerations on the process of formation and evolution of the modern Japanese urban landscape in the second half of the 20th century, a process that unfolded since the end of the WWII and heavily relied on the outcomes of the economic growth and social mutation based on the technological innovation and infrastructural development.
The peculiar and distinctive urban landscape of modern Japanese cities resulted by the combination of innovation of foreign origins and also by the re-interpretation of some elements of the local culture and aesthetic tradition. The extreme fragmentation and the patchwork like nature of the urban tissue of most of the Japanese cites is linked to the frantic pace of changes and the overlapping of eclectic forms, dense functions and mixed activities which combine and integrate with the use of a new aesthetic language based on the acceptance of the power of change of the latest technologies.
The peculiar and distinctive urban landscape of modern Japanese cities resulted by the combination of innovation of foreign origins and also by the re-interpretation of some elements of the local culture and aesthetic tradition. The extreme fragmentation and the patchwork like nature of the urban tissue of most of the Japanese cites is linked to the frantic pace of changes and the overlapping of eclectic forms, dense functions and mixed activities which combine and integrate with the use of a new aesthetic language based on the acceptance of the power of change of the latest technologies.
Research Interests:
Urban Geography, Japanese Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Infrastructure Planning, and 15 moreUrban Planning, Modern and Contemporary Japan, Architectural History, Urban Studies, Architectural Theory, Japan, Landscape Urbanism, Urban And Regional Planning, Urban Design (Urban Studies), Urban Landscape, Town planning, Japanese Architecture, Architectural Design, Urban Design, and Sociologia Urbana
Suzhou is a city that well represents the trend present in several other medium-to-large Chinese cities, which are constantly redesigning their urban environment to adapt to the great challenges of a global economy in 21st century, while... more
Suzhou is a city that well represents the trend present in several other medium-to-large Chinese cities, which are constantly redesigning their urban environment to adapt to the great challenges of a global economy in 21st century, while trying to balance their ancient history with the needs of a modern society. Two large-scale urban projects have recently drastically reshaped Suzhou skyline and urban structure, namely the development of SSIP - Suzhou Singapore Industrial Park and SND - Suzhou New District, and among the several urban elements that have emerged and are having a great impact on the daily life of the citizens there is the presence of multi-functional neighborhood centers.
The Neighborhood Center as a new urban element and architectural functional space in China has Singaporean origins and should be designed to adapt the Chinese urban and social-cultural context. In the last 20 years of urban development, the Neighborhood Centers in SND and SSIP have been the main life centers for local residents and immigrants. The architecture forms and the functions of the Neighborhood Center are also in progressive evolution, from the very early stage used as a service center to the most recent use as commercial complex in the latest versions. This paper discusses some elements that have promoted the current urban redevelopment of Suzhou in the last decades and it will explore the local adaption of the international model of this urban and architectonic element, and how it has derived and adapted from the Western culture to fulfill the needs of SSIP’s context.
The Neighborhood Center as a new urban element and architectural functional space in China has Singaporean origins and should be designed to adapt the Chinese urban and social-cultural context. In the last 20 years of urban development, the Neighborhood Centers in SND and SSIP have been the main life centers for local residents and immigrants. The architecture forms and the functions of the Neighborhood Center are also in progressive evolution, from the very early stage used as a service center to the most recent use as commercial complex in the latest versions. This paper discusses some elements that have promoted the current urban redevelopment of Suzhou in the last decades and it will explore the local adaption of the international model of this urban and architectonic element, and how it has derived and adapted from the Western culture to fulfill the needs of SSIP’s context.
Research Interests:
Urban Geography, Architecture, Chinese Studies, Landscape Architecture, Urban History, and 16 moreUrban Planning, Architectural History, Urban Studies, Urbanism, China, Architectural Theory, Landscape Urbanism, Urban And Regional Planning, Contemporary China, Urban Design (Urban Studies), History of architecture, City planning, Urban Design, City and Regional Planning, Architecture and urbanism, and Architecture and Public Spaces
During the 1960s, many changes reshaped the economy, the society and the arts. The Cold War, the Space Race, the construction of a new middle class in most Western societies led by the postwar economic prosperity with unprecedented urban... more
During the 1960s, many changes reshaped the economy, the society and the arts. The Cold War, the Space Race, the construction of a new middle class in most Western societies led by the postwar economic prosperity with unprecedented urban growth followed by severe environmental problems fostered the design of spectacular urban utopian cities and mega-architectures. In those years, Japan was the source of highly influential bold and visionary urban and architectural ideas which relied on advanced technology. These ideas were conceived on the thought that cities could be seen as gigantic but impermanent entities able to transform itself according to an organic process of adaptation of its elementary components. This paper briefly revisits and critically discusses the legacy of the iconic mega-structural projects of Japanese Metabolist Movement and other visionary architects and planners of the 1960s, such as Paolo Soleri, Buckminster Fuller, Archigram. It attempts to enlighten the continuity with contemporary innovative and experimental urban models and ideas for the society and the city of the future, such as the Smart Cities, Eco-Cities, Green Urbanism, whose design is led by concerns related to climate change, the necessity of energy efficiency, the improvement of urban landscape and the valorization of depleted natural resources.
Research Interests:
Japanese Studies, Art History, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban History, and 18 moreMetabolism, Urban Planning, Architectural History, Urban Studies, Architectural Theory, Modern Architecture, Landscape Urbanism, Sustainable Architecture, Megastructures (Architectural History), History of architecture, City planning, Japanese Architecture, Urban Design, Metabolist Movement, Kisho Kurokawa, Architecture and Public Spaces, Megastructures, and Utopian Planning
The paper introduces some broad considerations on the relation between the process of urban growth and architectural development in modern Japan, which unfolded since the middle of the 20th century and heavily relied on new architectural... more
The paper introduces some broad considerations on the relation between the process of urban growth and architectural development in modern Japan, which unfolded since the middle of the 20th century and heavily relied on new architectural ideas and models, and the progress of building technologies and infrastructure development staged during the year of rapid economic growth (1950s-1960s). It investigates how the urban environment which resulted was shaped according to the social, historical and cultural context of the country at the time, and was linked to some fundamental ideas derived from Western urban and architectural theories.
The fragmentation of the Japanese cites, which entered modernity earlier than other East Asian countries and witnessed first-hand the phase of surge and criticism of Modernism, have been influenced by the formation of a large extension of interconnected conurbations forming an intricate and dense urban structure, the so-called Tokaido Megalopolis, a continuous and integrated urban corridor stretching from Tokyo region to Fukuoka city.
The fragmentation of the Japanese cites, which entered modernity earlier than other East Asian countries and witnessed first-hand the phase of surge and criticism of Modernism, have been influenced by the formation of a large extension of interconnected conurbations forming an intricate and dense urban structure, the so-called Tokaido Megalopolis, a continuous and integrated urban corridor stretching from Tokyo region to Fukuoka city.
Research Interests:
Japanese Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban History, Urban Planning, and 18 moreJapanese History, Architectural History, Urban Studies, Urbanism, Architectural Theory, Modern Architecture, Urban Sociology, Japan, Urban Design (Urban Studies), Urban Development, Japanese Architecture, Architectural Design, Urban Design, Tokyo, Architettura, Megalopolis, Tokaido Megalopolis, and Japanese City
This paper introduces some general considerations focused on the interaction between the process of urban growth and regional development in Japan which progressed since the middle of the XXth century, the vision and the characters of the... more
This paper introduces some general considerations focused on the interaction between the process of urban growth and regional development in Japan which progressed since the middle of the XXth century, the vision and the characters of the modern city that has been designed according to the social, historical and cultural context of the country, and the links with some fundamental topics derived from Western urban and architectural theories legacy.
In post-war Japan, a country which embraced modern technologies and the influence of new cultural systems and values earlier than other East Asian countries, and witnessed first-hand the phase of surge and criticism of the Modern Movement, the formation of a large extension of conurbations and an intricate and complex and mixed urban fabric have generated the so-called Megalopolis of Tokaido, a continuous and dense multi-faced urban corridor stretching from Tokyo and Kanto region to Fukuoka city. The fragmentation of the space and the multi-polarization of the functions with an overlapping of uses, forms and dimensions of this new urban model have portrayed and reshaped the modern Japanese city as a chaotic patchwork made of fine urban grain and a sky-line composed of an uninterrupted extension of low dwellings overshadowed by scattered groups of modern towers and buildings in perpetual but constant evolution.
In post-war Japan, a country which embraced modern technologies and the influence of new cultural systems and values earlier than other East Asian countries, and witnessed first-hand the phase of surge and criticism of the Modern Movement, the formation of a large extension of conurbations and an intricate and complex and mixed urban fabric have generated the so-called Megalopolis of Tokaido, a continuous and dense multi-faced urban corridor stretching from Tokyo and Kanto region to Fukuoka city. The fragmentation of the space and the multi-polarization of the functions with an overlapping of uses, forms and dimensions of this new urban model have portrayed and reshaped the modern Japanese city as a chaotic patchwork made of fine urban grain and a sky-line composed of an uninterrupted extension of low dwellings overshadowed by scattered groups of modern towers and buildings in perpetual but constant evolution.
Research Interests:
This paper focuses on the striking contrast between the memory of the traditional architectural and urban elements of Korea and the characters of the contemporary urban landscape which is essentially composed by new high density... more
This paper focuses on the striking contrast between the memory of the traditional architectural and urban elements of Korea and the characters of the contemporary urban landscape which is essentially composed by new high density collective housing complexes integrated with new urban facilities and well maintained green public spaces. It briefly addresses some important issues related with the development of contemporary Korean urbanism, such as the influence of political decision and other economic factors over social aspects of the planning process, the relation between the plans of recent new towns aimed at the creation of a network of modern, technologically advanced and efficient multi-functional urban clusters, designed and built to foster the formation of a larger super-urban structure in the country to better compete in the global economy and stimulate the national economy, and the consolidation of the Korean middle class.
Research Interests:
This short paper briefly revisits and discusses the legacy of most of the iconic mega-structural projects of the Japanese Metabolist Movement and other visionary architects and planners of the 1960s, such as Paolo Soleri, Buckminster... more
This short paper briefly revisits and discusses the legacy of most of the iconic mega-structural projects of the Japanese Metabolist Movement and other visionary architects and planners of the 1960s, such as Paolo Soleri, Buckminster Fuller, Archigram. It attempts to enlight the continuity with contemporary innovative and experimental urban models and ideas for the society and city of the future, such as the Smart Cities, Eco-Cities, Green Urbanism, whose design is led by concerns related to climate change, the necessity of energy efficiecy, the improvement of the urban landscape and the valorization of depleted natural resources.
Research Interests:
This study outlines the trend of waterfront (re-)development in Japan during the recent decades by presenting some significant urban and architectural projects located in large cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe, and other local and... more
This study outlines the trend of waterfront (re-)development in Japan during the recent decades by presenting some significant urban and architectural projects located in large cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe, and other local and regional centers. These projects, analysed and proposed as exemplary case studies, present a concise overview that is representative of the Japanese approach to the design of waterfront environments. This approach ranges from mega-scale urban projects with high international ambitions, typical of the sustained economic growth since the early 1980s, to a more limited scale that aimed to create friendlier and community-oriented environments.
Research Interests:
Book Launch & Roundtable: THE URBANISM OF METABOLISM VISIONS, SCENARIOS AND MODELS FOR THE MUTANT CITY OF TOMORROW Routledge 2022 Edited by Raffaele Pernice; With contributions by Hajime Yatsuka, Botond Bognar, Raffaele Pernice,... more
Book Launch & Roundtable:
THE URBANISM OF METABOLISM
VISIONS, SCENARIOS AND MODELS FOR THE MUTANT CITY OF TOMORROW
Routledge 2022
Edited by Raffaele Pernice; With contributions by Hajime Yatsuka, Botond Bognar, Raffaele Pernice, Jon Lang, Yuriko Furuhata, Peter Senk, Ken Tadashi Oshima, Philip Drew, Kiwa Matsushita, Casey Mack, Hyunjung Cho, Julian Worrall, and Yasutaka Tsuji.
Foreword by Toyo Ito;
Afterword by Gevork Hartoonian.
18 May 2023,
6-7.30pm (AEST)
The Japan Foundation, Sydney
Outline of the event and Zoom link available at:
https://jpf.org.au/events/book-launch-urbanism/
More than sixty years after the Metabolist Group manifesto was published in Tokyo in 1960, what legacy remains of the bold visions and radical architectural forms promoted by this group of young Japanese architects and designers? How their urban architectures inspired by concepts like regeneration, endless impermanence, progressive adaptability, sustainability and resilience, to quote a few, can inspire a new urban thinking in a time of environmental emergency and urban crisis? The various contributions in this edited book critically explores and promotes reflections on Metabolism’s still relevant design lessons. They intend to highlight the persistent links between present and past that can help to re-imagine new urban futures as well as the design of innovative intra-urban relationships and spaces.
This event intends to present and discuss the edited book and will be in person and online. UNSW Lecturer Ms Shaowen Wang will introduce the editor and author, then they will take part in the discussion and conversation with Emeritus Professor Gevork Hartoonian of the University of Canberra, the Director of UNSW Cities Institute Professor Peter Poulet, and Professor Daniel A. Barber of the University Technology of Sydney.
Raffaele Pernice is an Italian architect and Senior Lecturer in the School of Built Environment at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney). His research interests focus on architectural and urban history, the relationship between architecture and the city design, and the urbanism of the Asia Pacific region and of Japan in particular.
THE URBANISM OF METABOLISM
VISIONS, SCENARIOS AND MODELS FOR THE MUTANT CITY OF TOMORROW
Routledge 2022
Edited by Raffaele Pernice; With contributions by Hajime Yatsuka, Botond Bognar, Raffaele Pernice, Jon Lang, Yuriko Furuhata, Peter Senk, Ken Tadashi Oshima, Philip Drew, Kiwa Matsushita, Casey Mack, Hyunjung Cho, Julian Worrall, and Yasutaka Tsuji.
Foreword by Toyo Ito;
Afterword by Gevork Hartoonian.
18 May 2023,
6-7.30pm (AEST)
The Japan Foundation, Sydney
Outline of the event and Zoom link available at:
https://jpf.org.au/events/book-launch-urbanism/
More than sixty years after the Metabolist Group manifesto was published in Tokyo in 1960, what legacy remains of the bold visions and radical architectural forms promoted by this group of young Japanese architects and designers? How their urban architectures inspired by concepts like regeneration, endless impermanence, progressive adaptability, sustainability and resilience, to quote a few, can inspire a new urban thinking in a time of environmental emergency and urban crisis? The various contributions in this edited book critically explores and promotes reflections on Metabolism’s still relevant design lessons. They intend to highlight the persistent links between present and past that can help to re-imagine new urban futures as well as the design of innovative intra-urban relationships and spaces.
This event intends to present and discuss the edited book and will be in person and online. UNSW Lecturer Ms Shaowen Wang will introduce the editor and author, then they will take part in the discussion and conversation with Emeritus Professor Gevork Hartoonian of the University of Canberra, the Director of UNSW Cities Institute Professor Peter Poulet, and Professor Daniel A. Barber of the University Technology of Sydney.
Raffaele Pernice is an Italian architect and Senior Lecturer in the School of Built Environment at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney). His research interests focus on architectural and urban history, the relationship between architecture and the city design, and the urbanism of the Asia Pacific region and of Japan in particular.
Research Interests:
Japanese Studies, Architecture, Urban History, Metabolism, Architectural History, and 11 moreUrbanism, Architectural Theory, Sustainable Architecture, History of architecture, Japanese Architecture, Urban Design, Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Teoria História e Crítica da Arquitetura e do Urbanismo, Urban Metabolism, Kenzo Tange, and Kisho Kurokawa
On 13-14 October 2022 UNSW Sydney - School of Built Environment and Xian Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU) - School of Design in Suzhou, China, successfully held the joint 2022 International Symposium on Sustainable Urbanism and... more
On 13-14 October 2022 UNSW Sydney - School of Built Environment and Xian Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU) - School of Design in Suzhou, China, successfully held the joint 2022 International Symposium on Sustainable Urbanism and Architecture: Australia and China Perspective of Urban Regeneration and Rural Revitalization. The symposium was convened by Dr. Raffaele Pernice (UNSW) and Dr. Bing Chen (XJTLU) as a hybrid event online and in person at Rupert Myers Theatre. This project gathered more than 20 experienced and young scholars, practitioners and academics from Australia, China and Europe who presented and discussed their research on the up-to-date status of art of urban development and rural revitalization and regeneration practices in Australia and China. The 16 selected papers presented a variety of case study, innovative investigations, and architectural and urban precedents and theses that will be re-edited and collected in an edited book for publication next year. The symposium was supported with a National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR) 2021 competitive grant (Ref: NFACR21/220476).
Link to the event and abstracts:
https://conference.unsw.edu.au/en/2022-international-symposium-on-sustainable-urbanism-and-architecture
Link to the event and abstracts:
https://conference.unsw.edu.au/en/2022-international-symposium-on-sustainable-urbanism-and-architecture
Research Interests:
Focusing on the forgotten lessons and potential legacy of the urban projects proposed by the Japanese avant-garde architectural movement of Metabolism, which emerged in the 1960s, and on the critical and comparative study of large-scale... more
Focusing on the forgotten lessons and potential legacy of the urban projects proposed by the Japanese avant-garde architectural movement of Metabolism, which emerged in the 1960s, and on the critical and comparative study of large-scale waterfront regeneration and design in Tokyo and Sydney, 2 education and research projects have been initiated at UNSW-School of the Built Environment in 2019 and 2021 with the aim to look at the future of the city in an age of climate change, global warming and rising sea levels.
Structured around a variety of international workshops, joint design studios, collaborative archive and documentary reviews, multi-disciplinary seminars, and international symposia with the participation of national and international academics and scholars, both research projects are in progress with the support of competitive research grants from the Japan Foundation, the Australia-Japan Foundation (AJF), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and other internal grants from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (ADA) at UNSW Sydney.
Structured around a variety of international workshops, joint design studios, collaborative archive and documentary reviews, multi-disciplinary seminars, and international symposia with the participation of national and international academics and scholars, both research projects are in progress with the support of competitive research grants from the Japan Foundation, the Australia-Japan Foundation (AJF), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and other internal grants from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (ADA) at UNSW Sydney.
Research Interests:
The 2 days symposium on 22 and 23 February 2021 will be now streamed live on YouTube. The links are available directly in the website: https://conference.unsw.edu.au/en/international-symposium Or here: 22 Feb, Monday is:... more
The 2 days symposium on 22 and 23 February 2021 will be now streamed live on YouTube.
The links are available directly in the website:
https://conference.unsw.edu.au/en/international-symposium
Or here:
22 Feb, Monday is: https://youtu.be/_oobI__c_as
23 Feb, Tuesday is: https://youtu.be/Qlh1lrBNbvo
Please feel free to share with your friends, colleagues, and in your social media, since no need to register and therefore very useful to promote the event at large.
The links are available directly in the website:
https://conference.unsw.edu.au/en/international-symposium
Or here:
22 Feb, Monday is: https://youtu.be/_oobI__c_as
23 Feb, Tuesday is: https://youtu.be/Qlh1lrBNbvo
Please feel free to share with your friends, colleagues, and in your social media, since no need to register and therefore very useful to promote the event at large.
Research Interests:
Europe has always had a great respect and consideration for the relics and the heritage from recent and distant past and this is actually a cultural feature of the entire European spirit. Especially in the case of Italy, home of most of... more
Europe has always had a great respect and consideration for the relics and the heritage from recent and distant past and this is actually a cultural feature of the entire European spirit. Especially in the case of Italy, home of most of the cultural and artistic patrimony of humanity as designated by UNESCO, the interest and the energy to protect and restore significant buildings, urban areas and artefacts from different historic periods is effectively implemented through strict and elaborated legal means and a general attention to the needs of communities to preserve their cultural memories.
The paper for this symposium briefly introduces 2 of the most recent and successful examples of renewal of old structures from the past in Venice, and their adaptation to the current needs of the poly-functional urban and cultural activities of the present city: the project for the restoration of the old industrial complex of Molino Stucky into a luxury hotel (2002-2007) and the renovation works of the Punta della Dogana as new exhibition center (2007-2009).
The paper for this symposium briefly introduces 2 of the most recent and successful examples of renewal of old structures from the past in Venice, and their adaptation to the current needs of the poly-functional urban and cultural activities of the present city: the project for the restoration of the old industrial complex of Molino Stucky into a luxury hotel (2002-2007) and the renovation works of the Punta della Dogana as new exhibition center (2007-2009).
Research Interests:
Architecture, Urban History, Regeneration, Urban Regeneration, Architectural History, and 7 moreHistory of architecture, Urban Renewal, Urban Design, Venice, Teoria História e Crítica da Arquitetura e do Urbanismo, Architecture and Public Spaces, and Restoration and Conservation of Ancient and Historic Buildings and Structures
This course is the 5th studio in the sequence of six Bachelor of Architectural Studies design studio courses at UNSW School of Built Environment. Students will design several dwellings to accommodate a mix of household types on a single... more
This course is the 5th studio in the sequence of six Bachelor of Architectural Studies design studio courses at UNSW School of Built Environment. Students will design several dwellings to accommodate a mix of household types on a single suburban lot in a middle suburb of Sydney with reference to existing models for the processes of suburban densification. The studio draws on the knowledge and skills gained in the previous design studios to further develop students’ skills in design generation, development and management at a moderate level of complexity. It promotes coordinated relationships between the medium of architecture, patterns of human activity and elements and patterns of the site and the larger spatial and socio-economic context.
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Research Interests:
Summer course BEIL 6013 BE Nomad 2022 Japan Studio will focus on the theme of waterfront regeneration in Tokyo Bay, and activities will be carried out in cooperation with students of Waseda University in Tokyo. Through mapping, the review... more
Summer course BEIL 6013 BE Nomad 2022 Japan Studio will focus on the theme of waterfront regeneration in Tokyo Bay, and activities will be carried out in cooperation with students of Waseda University in Tokyo. Through mapping, the review and analysis of relevant information, you will develop initial visions which will inform the design response. For this course you are invited to propose, develop and present innovative concepts and practical ideas leading to sustainable and eco-friendly architectural solutions, effective city planning strategies and urban design proposals to cope with the specific problems existing in the local built environment in order to deliver healthy and livable spaces, and high-quality urban places.
Research Interests:
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Booklet showing students works produced by UNSW Sydney M1 students of Architecture for the course ARC9006 - International design workshop in Hong Kong in January 2019.
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Co-Presentation (with Ann Brantingham, Chengcheng Li, Gareth Morris - XJTLU/Language Center) at 2016 XJTLU Learning & Teaching Colloquium, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University, AEC - Academic Enhancement Center, Suzhou - China 7-8 April,... more
Co-Presentation (with Ann Brantingham, Chengcheng Li, Gareth Morris - XJTLU/Language Center) at 2016 XJTLU Learning & Teaching Colloquium, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University, AEC - Academic Enhancement Center, Suzhou - China 7-8 April, 2016.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Living Bank Community Project (Suzhou, China) was the theme for the module CDE110 - Neighborhood Planning developed for Y2 students at XJTLU in the academic year 2012/1013. The work has been gradual and painstaking, involving regular... more
The Living Bank Community Project (Suzhou, China) was the theme for the module CDE110 - Neighborhood Planning developed for Y2 students at XJTLU in the academic year 2012/1013. The work has been gradual and painstaking, involving regular contact work and meticulous data collection in order to provide genuine information upon which to act. The entire approach is a new one for China and can be rolled out as a method of engaging with the public - those people that planners often forget but are deemed to serve.
The Living Bank project using participatory methods for neighborhood planning is intended to be an example of effective pedagogy and engagement with the community. This project allowed students to make a very real connection between what they learn in the classroom and applications in the real world, a connection that is essential for urban planning and design students, in order to give them a much higher level of engagement with what they learn, as well as more of a sense of ownership of their own education.
The Living Bank project using participatory methods for neighborhood planning is intended to be an example of effective pedagogy and engagement with the community. This project allowed students to make a very real connection between what they learn in the classroom and applications in the real world, a connection that is essential for urban planning and design students, in order to give them a much higher level of engagement with what they learn, as well as more of a sense of ownership of their own education.
Research Interests:
Architecture, Higher Education, Educational Research, Urban Anthropology, Urban Planning, and 12 moreNeighbourhood Development, Architectural Education, Urban Studies, European Neighbourhood Policy, Pedagogy, Urban Sociology, Urban And Regional Planning, China studies, Neighborhood Design (Architecture), Urban Design, Sustainable Neighbourhoods, and Lived Space, Neighborhood, Sense of Place
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The M1 UC Studio 2020 at UNSW focussed on the development and design of an alternative masterplan on the same blocks of the proposed space of the new UNSW Canberra campus. All students divided into teams first designed the masterplan,... more
The M1 UC Studio 2020 at UNSW focussed on the development and design of an alternative masterplan on the same blocks of the proposed space of the new UNSW Canberra campus. All students divided into teams first designed the masterplan, then individually developed an education building architecturally.
Whilst students engaged the use/program of the entire site with a view at creating a whole community partially autonomous in which all areas are related in terms of function, space and life, they were expected to constantly reflect in their research design process at three different scales, from large (metropolitan), to medium (urban), and then small (local).
Full booklet with student works is available at the link:
https://issuu.com/raffaelepernice/docs/unswsydney-arch7112_-urban_condtions_2020-comp
Whilst students engaged the use/program of the entire site with a view at creating a whole community partially autonomous in which all areas are related in terms of function, space and life, they were expected to constantly reflect in their research design process at three different scales, from large (metropolitan), to medium (urban), and then small (local).
Full booklet with student works is available at the link:
https://issuu.com/raffaelepernice/docs/unswsydney-arch7112_-urban_condtions_2020-comp
Research Interests:
You may look at all MArch student works at this link:
https://www.archexunsw.com.au/
Do not miss the projects of the Urban Conditions stream lead this year by tutors Morgan Lumen, Shaowen Wang and Dr. Raffaele Pernice
https://www.archexunsw.com.au/
Do not miss the projects of the Urban Conditions stream lead this year by tutors Morgan Lumen, Shaowen Wang and Dr. Raffaele Pernice
Research Interests:
Level 3 Design Studio - Final Works of Year 4 Students, module CDE307 - Urban Design, Semester 1 (September - December 2016) - UPD, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University
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Final Works of Year 4 Students, module CDE307 - Urban Design, Semester 1 (September - December 2015) - UPD, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Urban Regeneration, Urban Studies, and 12 moreBuilt Environment, China, Urban Open Space Design, Sustainable Architecture, Urban Design (Urban Studies), City planning, Urban Design, Urban Public Open Space, Urban design and planning, Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Architecture and Urban Design, and Architecture and Public Spaces
Research Interests:
Education, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Architectural Education, and 11 moreSustainable Urban Environments, Drawing, Green architecture, Landscape Urbanism, Urban And Regional Planning, Urban Design (Urban Studies), Urban Design, Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Disegno Dell'Architettura, Composizione e progettazione architettonica, and Architecture and Public Spaces
Research Interests:
In China the current industrialization and modernization process started with the “open-door” policy in the second half of 20th century, which has promoted a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and a progressive reshaping... more
In China the current industrialization and modernization process started with the “open-door” policy in the second half of 20th century, which has promoted a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and a progressive reshaping of city form, its inner structure and urban landscapes, changing considerably the urban patterns. Housing, which is one of the most important elements in the urban area, can be assumed as the expression of people’s perception and of the course of economic development. With four case studies in Suzhou, this research aims at understanding the typical mass housing pattern in Chinese cities by discovering similarities and trying to find out the institutional reasons behind them. It may also help to understand the links between urban development path and political structure.
Research Interests:
The current industrialization process of China, which has been prolonged for the last 3 decades, has promoted a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and the reshaping of city form and her landscapes. Swallowing cities have... more
The current industrialization process of China, which has been prolonged for the last 3 decades, has promoted a huge restructuring of the pre-existent urban fabrics and the reshaping of city form and her landscapes. Swallowing cities have to accommodate a new class of urbanites and more immigrants from rural areas, with housing shortage being one of the foremost important issues. House seen as shelter and as status symbol is characterizing the social aspirations of the new urban citizens generated by the economic success of China. This is a preliminary study that aims at studying how modern China have resolved to provide the growing urban population with adequate and modern housing organized in efficient and attractive urban districts, and to review the relationships between mass housing estates as large estates and their relation with 5 main models of urban residential community present in China since the middle of 20th century (the Neighborhood unit, superblock, working unit, micro districts, gated communities).
More Info: XJTLU Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) - SURF Code: 201512; Research Program: June-August 2015; Poster Presentation (Poster A1 Size); Research Team: Dr. Raffaele Pernice (Supervisor); Cao Yixuan 曹祎璇 (Y3 Student), Tao Shanshan 陶珊珊 (Y3 Student), Ji Huazhen (Y2 Student)
More Info: XJTLU Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) - SURF Code: 201512; Research Program: June-August 2015; Poster Presentation (Poster A1 Size); Research Team: Dr. Raffaele Pernice (Supervisor); Cao Yixuan 曹祎璇 (Y3 Student), Tao Shanshan 陶珊珊 (Y3 Student), Ji Huazhen (Y2 Student)
Research Interests:
This proposed project is an initial research that will focus on the development and evolution of the gated communities as main housing/community model diffused and accepted in the large Chinese metropolises. The intended achievements of... more
This proposed project is an initial research that will focus on the development and evolution of the gated communities as main housing/community model diffused and accepted in the large Chinese metropolises. The intended achievements of the research, at the moment a work in progress, can greatly contribute to the debate on the aspects of the current development of the modern cities and new form of contemporary housing in China.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Architecture Talk Series brings together renowned academics and scholars of Japanese architecture and urbanism. Held over four weeks (February 9 to March 2, 2023), these seminars present an overview of representative examples of... more
The Architecture Talk Series brings together renowned academics and scholars of Japanese architecture and urbanism. Held over four weeks (February 9 to March 2, 2023), these seminars present an overview of representative examples of buildings and designers which prompted a radical phase of change in the construction of larger cities, new modern buildings and infrastructures in Japan, from the Meiji Era to the contemporary period.
The various seminars will look chronologically at the evolution of the urban landscape in the Japanese city and its interplay with the transforming culture, social structures, and people’s lifestyles. These are impacted by contradictory forces of innovation and change versus conservation and stability, along with the difficult task of binding past traditions and memories with future ambitions and values.
Elaborating and discussing the different aspects of the transformation of the Japanese cities, each talk will highlight the fundamental changes of the built environment which accompanied the radical and often turbulent process of westernisation/modernisation of traditional Japanese culture and society since the late 19th Century.
Link of the event here:
https://jpf.org.au/events/architecture-talk/
The various seminars will look chronologically at the evolution of the urban landscape in the Japanese city and its interplay with the transforming culture, social structures, and people’s lifestyles. These are impacted by contradictory forces of innovation and change versus conservation and stability, along with the difficult task of binding past traditions and memories with future ambitions and values.
Elaborating and discussing the different aspects of the transformation of the Japanese cities, each talk will highlight the fundamental changes of the built environment which accompanied the radical and often turbulent process of westernisation/modernisation of traditional Japanese culture and society since the late 19th Century.
Link of the event here:
https://jpf.org.au/events/architecture-talk/
Research Interests:
I am pleased to forward the invite to join my upcoming talk scheduled at Japan Foundation Sydney on 16 February 2021. The event will be held in person and online (booking necessary for online attendance). Follow the link:... more
I am pleased to forward the invite to join my upcoming talk scheduled at Japan Foundation Sydney on 16 February 2021. The event will be held in person and online (booking necessary for online attendance).
Follow the link:
https://jpf.org.au/events/mutant-urbanism-in-japanese-architecture-lessons-from-the-metabolist-movement/
The talk will introduce different aspects of the urban architectural projects and planning schemes developed by the Metabolist architects in response to Japan’s rapid post-war urbanization. It also discusses the lessons and legacy of the Metabolism, sixty years on from the manifesto’s release. It is linked to the forthcoming international symposium on Metabolism which I am curating as Project Director and which will be presented as webinar at UNSW Sydney, School of Built Environment on 22-23 February 2021.
Follow the link:
https://jpf.org.au/events/mutant-urbanism-in-japanese-architecture-lessons-from-the-metabolist-movement/
The talk will introduce different aspects of the urban architectural projects and planning schemes developed by the Metabolist architects in response to Japan’s rapid post-war urbanization. It also discusses the lessons and legacy of the Metabolism, sixty years on from the manifesto’s release. It is linked to the forthcoming international symposium on Metabolism which I am curating as Project Director and which will be presented as webinar at UNSW Sydney, School of Built Environment on 22-23 February 2021.
Research Interests:
Reflecting on the contributions from East Asia (China, Japan and South Korea) to the discourse of planning and design a modern built environment as promoted by single actors, larger cultural movements and national elites fostering... more
Reflecting on the contributions from East Asia (China, Japan and South Korea) to the discourse of planning and design a modern built environment as promoted by single actors, larger cultural movements and national elites fostering economic ambitions and political agendas of autocratic forces (e.g. from the experimental cities by the Metabolist group in Japan, to the more “pragmatic” urban development projects fostered by local and national governments in South Korea and China), the talk tries put in context the key cultural factors and urban engines which have helped shape and mold a peculiar East Asian vision of the contemporary city at the dawn of 21st century
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the early 1960s Japanese Metabolists promoted a new bold technological language in architecture, which will inspire the post-modern megastructural movement of the period, in order to create new urban forms for the society of the Atomic... more
In the early 1960s Japanese Metabolists promoted a new bold technological language in architecture, which will inspire the post-modern megastructural movement of the period, in order to create new urban forms for the society of the Atomic Age, trying to combine modernity and elements of the traditional national culture.
By focusing on the specific contributions and theoretical concepts promoted by the members of the Metabolist Group in their efforts to resolve the problems of housing shortage in the modern city, the lecture will outline the design approach behind their key projects proposed in post war Japan during a phase of fast urban and economic growth, which witnessed the definitive sunset of Modernist architectural principles.
By focusing on the specific contributions and theoretical concepts promoted by the members of the Metabolist Group in their efforts to resolve the problems of housing shortage in the modern city, the lecture will outline the design approach behind their key projects proposed in post war Japan during a phase of fast urban and economic growth, which witnessed the definitive sunset of Modernist architectural principles.
Research Interests:
Aim: The aim of the workshop is to bring together a number of researches and contributions which focus on several aspects of the Futurist Movement, from an historical, architectural and cultural point of view. The different ideas and... more
Aim: The aim of the workshop is to bring together a number of researches and contributions which focus on several aspects of the Futurist Movement, from an historical, architectural and cultural point of view. The different ideas and research subjects should establish a discussion between academics and professionals (historians, architects, and urban planners) which reflects the several different approaches and sensibilities on the fundamental theme of how we can imagine today a new city (a city for the future) which fits the needs and the requirements of contemporary life.
Contents: In occasion of the anniversary of the publication of Futurist Manifesto in 1909, the workshop aims to present different theoretical perspectives relating to individual investigations on the historical and cultural meaning of the Futurism, and on the influence which Futurism has exerted in the context of Japanese modern architecture and elsewhere in East Asia. The presentations of the works by several scholars also aim to foster a reflection on the legacy of the Futurism in the architecture of Japan, and to detect the characters of the urban form and the image of the city of the future as seen by Japanese and in general other East Asian architects and designers.
Contents: In occasion of the anniversary of the publication of Futurist Manifesto in 1909, the workshop aims to present different theoretical perspectives relating to individual investigations on the historical and cultural meaning of the Futurism, and on the influence which Futurism has exerted in the context of Japanese modern architecture and elsewhere in East Asia. The presentations of the works by several scholars also aim to foster a reflection on the legacy of the Futurism in the architecture of Japan, and to detect the characters of the urban form and the image of the city of the future as seen by Japanese and in general other East Asian architects and designers.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In East Asia the search for a new approach in architectural and urban design independent from the West has started in 1950s with the Japanese Metabolist Movement, a group influential in the international debate for new forms of... more
In East Asia the search for a new approach in architectural and urban design independent from the West has started in 1950s with the Japanese Metabolist Movement, a group influential in the international debate for new forms of urbanization and design. Korea has also more or less successfully developed an approach which integrates local and international elements. China is now eager to import urban and architectural schemes and forms taken from the most developed (Western) countries on a massive scale and with little consideration for the local culture and traditions. So a change is needed in this approach. Is China now on the verge of a new real urban and architectural renaissance?
The talk will focus on some general considerations about the fast process of fast urban growth in Far East in recent decades, with special attention to Japan, South Korea and China, discussing how these countries have responded to the multiple challenges posed by economic, social, political, cultural and environmental issues since the second half of XXth century.
The talk will focus on some general considerations about the fast process of fast urban growth in Far East in recent decades, with special attention to Japan, South Korea and China, discussing how these countries have responded to the multiple challenges posed by economic, social, political, cultural and environmental issues since the second half of XXth century.