Student Lecture Series. Takaharu and Yui Tezuka: Timeless — Finding Kronos
What can we leave for the 22nd century?
There are many divinations about oldness, but unlike trees or fossils, the age of architecture is too young for radiocarbon dating. There are only stories written by human beings. However, history is not science but memorandum, the memorandum is nothing more than data, and data is nothing more than a result.
We want to discuss the future, not the past. There are world heritage buildings older than a millennium where most of the materials have been replaced during restoration processes. It is necessary to replace some materials to meet modern needs, and thus the longevity of a building has nothing to do with the durability of the material—the eldest architecture is fragile and needs to be taken care of. The inclined wall and aged floor are seen as the authenticity of the architecture. Functionality has nothing to do with the life span of a building—old architecture is usually inefficient compared to modern architecture.
Nothing is old at the beginning of its existence. If the architecture was built as old, it wouldn’t last long. What makes a city old? No architect knows how long the architecture will last when they build it. Only Kronos knows which one will last.
The lecture will be followed by a public discussion moderated by Tate Liang.
Takaharu and Yui Tezuka founded Tokyo-based firm Tezuka Architects in 1994. They have extensive experience designing spaces of living and learning that are intimately connected with human personalities and interaction, such as Fuji Kindergarten, which was named the best school in the world by OECD and UNESCO.
Tezuka Architects received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture from UNESCO in 2017, as well as domestic prizes such as the Architectural Institution of Japan Prize, The Japan Institute of Architects Prize, the Good Design Award Gold Prize, and the children’s Environment Association Prize.
Yui is involved in the establishment of the kindergarten’s design code at the National Institute of Educational Policy Research. Their theory on children’s environment is published as the “Yellowbook” from Harvard University.
Time: 6:30 PM EDT
Free!
