Comparism of a western and a non-western architect

and their works from a philosophical point of view

My essay is going to explore two world-famous architects, namely Robert Harvey

Oshatz, (American) and Shinichi Ogawa (Japanese). They both fit into the concept of
contemporary, at least because they are both alive, and they are dominant and
determinative architects of today’s world.

Robert Harvey Oshatz is probably well known from 1971, it was the year when the
established the Robert Harvey Oshatz, Architect firm, and from that time on the firm
constructed a huge variety of organic architecture, planning, interior design and
construction management services for both individuals and developers. “While most
architects today are specialists who associate with other specialists, Robert Oshatz is a
generalist who associates with specialists. He has experience wearing the hat of a
client, architect, and contractor.”
(http://www.oshatz.com/text/thearchitect.htm, accessed 9th November, 2010)

According to his philosophy, "An architect is an artist, creator, logician of evolving

aesthetic structures; a designer of not only the visual but the internal space. I see
architecture as a synthesis of logic and emotion, exploring and fulfilling the dreams,
fantasies and realities of my clients, whether they are individuals, corporate, or
community-identities.”
(Oshatz, R. H., A Traditional Design Approach)

This means that there is no such thing as a perfect line, style or anything, since we –
as humans are all different. Therefore, every project is different as well as the design,
and they altogether should fit into the need of the client. The synthesis of logic and
emotion suggest that the firm has to fulfill two request – a stable construction with
good space, room and energy ‘arrangement’ and has to represent its habitant. In this
sense, the first seems easier, because for that a good specialist is enough, but
establishing or rather bring someone’s dream to fruition is absolutely hard, even
because the clients are not even aware of what their secret dreams are, and usually an
architect is a complete stranger for them and vice versa. Therefore, the artist /
architect has a relatively short period of so-called ‘realizing’ before the actual
planning takes place.

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And what’s then? Oshatz stays away from design theories because he states, that
“Design theories tend to outshine their author's performance, becoming limiting
concepts, prejudicing the mind while tying one's hands behind one's back. They are
roadblocks to new ideas. While subscribing to a particular theory of design an
architect must solve problems within the parameters of that theory; this is limiting at
best.”
(Oshatz, R. H., A Traditional Design Approach)

“The starting point of my work is the clients program, so my first step is to divide the
program into its functional and spiritual components” (Oshatz, R. H., A Traditional
Design Approach)

The above mentioned quote also proves that he has to detect all the beauties and
mysteries that the client will appreciate. He differentiates between architecture and
building. Building is a non-living thing that has a function and simply ends in itself.
However, architecture is a unique project, which can result in rewarding the ‘artwork’
as a life-time home. And the key is home not a house.

“It is the architect's responsibility to go beyond the mere program and into the realm
of what I call the spiritual.” (Oshatz, R. H., A Traditional Design Approach)

His most famous work is the Fennell Residence in Portland, Oregon which was
finally completed in 2005.

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The Fennell residence is a floating house, which provided a completely innovative
and new opportunity for design. The use of curved beams symbolize or evoke the
poetry of waves and also the contours of a river. The large glass front covers the river
and frames the sunset. You can access the deck via a wide sliding glass door. The
bedroom is situated on the “last floor” which provides a wonderful perspective and
look over the living room combined with the dining area and even a sight to the river
beyond. The establishment of curvilinear forms provide an experience of time as the
lights ‘happily’ play with both the daily and seasonal changes.
(http://www.fataj.hu/2009/11/172/200911172_UszoHazFaHullamai.php, accessed 9th
November, 2010)

As the website also points out, the basic idea focuses on time, moreover the time-
passing and the artist played with the different ‘appearances’ of natural and artificial
light provided by the daily and seasonal changes. From the exterior to the interior, up
and down, the floating wooden house uniqly represents the waves underneath. The
motives all evoke the shapes of nature therefore they give an aesthetic experience on
the one hand, and functionally widen the space while letting the light coming in.

“The graphic tools used to express the design program are plan, section and elevation.
To me the plan is everything. It is the expression of the client's functional program, a
beautiful translation of an idea. I find the plan to be a simple picture of a program
organized into a rhythm of usages.” (Oshatz, R. H., A Traditional Design Approach)

The Wilkinson Residence, which also stands in Portland, Oregon (and was finished in
2004) is another example of his mad and deep ‘love’ in nature.

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 “A lover of music, the client wanted a house that not only became part of the natural
landscape but also addressed the flow of music. This house evades the mechanics of
the camera; it is difficult to capture the way the interior space flows seamlessly
through to the exterior. One must actually stroll through the house to grasp its
complexities and its connection to the exterior. One example is a natural wood
ceiling, floating on curved laminated wood beams, passing through a generous glass
wall which wraps around the main living room.”
(http://www.oshatz.com/text/wilkinson.htm, accessed 9th November, 2010)

This building evokes the feeling of being in a tree house. It is situated in the middle of
wood. Or above? … so the background is given to prove the impressions / feelings of
the viewer. Oshatz used only natural materials, mostly wood but the necessary
enormous glass walls (in order to have a complete view over the green nature outside)
are also unique creations by him.

The other artist who I chose likes (unlike Oshatz) labels and stereotypes, his works
are truly minimalist. Honestly, at first sight Ogawa’s architecture seems like usual
modern architecture, or rather say no different than others – dominant black and white
‘colour’-usage, empty spaces or ‘one room spaces’, minimal usage of furniture, nearly
no decoration because they are all useless… In fact, his constructions are different
from that minimalist architecture that we got used to during the 20th and 21th century.
Or at least because of his incomparable approach – his architecture does not serve a

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balance between functionality and form nor provides a living ideal. They are not
personally designed buildings.

He interpreted architecture as given spaces describing facts comprising reality.

Creation means establishing a context in which both the physical being of habitants
and their complex, physical surroundings are manageable. It is interesting that he
studied at Washington State University in 1977 as an exchange student and later also
in New York. His education suggests that he must have been influenced by the trends
in the United States. Here comes the question: so what is the actual case?
(http://www1.odn.ne.jp/ogawa01/index_profile_en.html, accessed 9th November,
2010)

His firm, the Shinichi Ogawa & Associates was established in 1986. From that time
on the firm has produced a numerous number of buildings. The Warehouse, which has
been finished just yet (in January of 2010) is located in Hiroshima, Japan.

From the outside it catches no intention to examine it furthermore. It is white, it is

simple, it seems rather unfinished or just uncreative. The house is 175m2 in size and it
has no partition walls. Instead of them, there are built in wardrobes and sliding level-
differences which separate the space.

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The inner and the outer space has fused together because a quadrangle is also
combined with the building. The terrace-kind quadrangle complexity is found on the
southern side of the house which is separated from the street with ground glass
boards. The different house-functions (usually rooms) are situated linearly behind
each other.

The kitchen and the bathroom make the center of the construction, while the living
room and bedrooms are put into the ends of the house. The Washitsu’s level (a room
done accordingly to Japanese traditions) is sinking below while the children’s
territory are above it.

The freely-standing cupboards and wardrobes, built in shelves and the usage of
sliding doors make possible the free (unlimited) opportunity of space-shaping and
divide the living spaces. These solutions seem too extravagant, extreme and even
risky to western people.
(http://tervlap.hu/index.php?id=201008301736valaszfalak_nelkul, accessed 9th
November, 2010)

Another example of his works which also ‘wear’ the common features of the artist’s
approaches and shows his philosophy – the domestic programs of the house are

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arranged in a linear orientation in a 'one room space – is the Minimalist House in
Okinawa, Japan.

This house was built to serve as a court house for a couple. In this case the space
composition is solved by dividing the house into two areas by a wall-like furniture.

The first area contains the living room, the dining room and bedroom. They altogether
form the interior space which is in a linear arrangement and they are connected to the
exterior court. The second area is composed of the kitchen, the powder room and the
study room.

“The shower room, toilet, small court, and various storages are laid out in this wall-
like unit, which also incorporates the services; all spaces combined together create a
lifestyle that minimize the division of the space as much as possible. With regards of

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the natural light of Okinawa’s climate, the internal space connecting with the outside
is designed with eaves in order to control the amount of direct sunlight coming inside
the house.” (http://www.archdaily.com/70869/minimalist-house-shinichi-ogawa-
associates/minimalist-house-09/, accessed 9th November, 2010)

So what is the outcome? Perhaps that this house is creating a habitation space that
invites to a minimal and a flexible lifestyle which again seems to be too absurd for
western people.

The differences between the two artists could have been seen in several senses. At
first, their approach – Oshatz tries to make newer and newer things, he deeply
believes in change / innovation and that since we are all different, we have to live in
different houses. He thinks that a building is not just a building, but should also be a
home, a place where you live not just as a habitant, but actually as a ‘living’ part of
complex.

Ogawa believes in the minimalist philosophy – works should be stripped to their most
fundamental and basic elements. “Less is more” is a motto for all minimalist architect,
sho it can be translated to: do more from less. The design shall be reduced to its
minimal request. As an aesthetic tactic of arranging the space, he thinks that at most
one ‘room’ is enough and the space should be divided linearly. Oshatz thinks it
differently, he states that the space is part of the atmosphere therefore the separation
should be done accordingly (like in the case of floating house). Ogawa strives for
extreme simplicity while Oshatz turns towards nature.

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They both love playing with light and the cause of its constant changing. Ogawa plans
by using basic geometric shapes / lines like Piet Mondrian on his paintings, while
Oshatz tricks with curved forms while evoking the shapes of nature and everyday
objects. But this is partly because he adopts the need of his clients to the product.
Owaga does not pay much attention to the personality of his clients nor to their
desires.

To sum it up, the different philosophical aspects can be a cause of the distance
between the two artist since they live in the two ‘ends’ of the world (western and non-
western) but at the same time it still can be explained simply with the different
mindsets regarding aesthetics and beauty. Because they are radically different in the
belief: what the product shall serve, their aims should be different, so it is not
surprising that the solutions are also, no matter they are at the same ‘generation’.

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List of reference:

 
Robert   Harvey   Oswatz’s   official   website,   Robert Harvey Oshatz, Architect,  
accessed  9th  November,  2010:  
 
Resume:  
http://www.oshatz.com/text/thearchitect.htm  
 
A  Traditional  Design  Approach  written  by  Robert  Harvey  Oshatz:  
http://www.oshatz.com/text/thearchitect.htm#design  
 
Wilkinson  Residence  
http://www.oshatz.com/text/wilkinson.htm  

Fatáj  Online,  FAGOSZ,  accessed  9th  November,  2010:  

http://www.fataj.hu/2009/11/172/200911172_UszoHazFaHullamai.php

Tervlap, Építészeti Portál, accessed 9th November, 2010:

http://tervlap.hu/index.php?id=201008301736valaszfalak_nelkul

Shinichi Ogawa, Shinichi Ogawa & Associates, accessed 9th November, 2010:
http://www1.odn.ne.jp/ogawa01/index_profile_en.html

Minimalist House / Shinichi Ogawa & Associates, Arch Daily, accessed 9th
November, 2010:
http://www.archdaily.com/70869/minimalist-house-shinichi-ogawa-associates/

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