KENZO TANGE

 Born – 14th November, 1913 at Japan

 Died – 22 March,2005
 Education – Architecture at University of
Tokyo
 1987 Pritzker Architecture prize winner

 Kenzo Tange was a Japanese Architect

and Urban Planner.
 He was one of the most significant
architects of 20th century, combining
traditional Japanese architecture with
modern architecture principles.
 He designed major building on five
continents.
 Teacher, writer, architect, and urban planner, he is revered not
only for his own work but also for his influence on younger
architects.
 He was influenced by Le Corbusier, was a master in the use of
reinforced concrete.
 Kenzo Tange’s work marked a revived awareness of Japanese
architectural traditions expressed through contemporary
interpretation of architectural form.
 Tange demonstrated that a unique regionalism could be
developed, and recognized, within the circumstance of
international style.
 After winning competition for Hiroshima peace center he
established his private practice.
 1946 established Tanges lab.
 The Urbanists and Architects Team was founded in 1961 and
became Kenzō Tange Associates.
TRADITION OF JAPAN:
 Traditional Japanese Architecture is based on nature’s
philosophy.

 Japanese Architecture had developed into pure efficiency of

use and material.

 Structure is a post and beam grid allowing building to be

flexible and better withstand strong and mild earth quakes.

 Space inside or traditional structure is multifunctional

 All the elements inside the building must be movable, small

and light.

 Walls are also moveable to increase multifunctional ability of

space.

 Exterior walls are also moveable allowing possibility to 3

completely open interior space to outside.
TRADITION OF JAPAN:
 ENGAWA : In Japanese architecture, an engawa is a typically
wooden strip of flooring immediately before windows and
storm shutters inside traditional Japanese rooms. This can also
mean the verandah outside the room as well.
 Engawa has several screens which may be raised or lowered
from ceiling to protect interior from the harsh elements.
 Proportions are accordingly in KEN scale.

Traditional Japanese Architecture is based on nature’s philosophy.

KENZO TANGE – PHILOSOPHY:

 Influenced by Japan’s traditional architecture.

Most of these early structures were conventional
rectangular forms using light steel frames. which were
fine examples of the blending of modern and Japanese
traditional architecture.
Tange’s work during the 1960s took more boldly dramatic
forms with the use of reinforced concrete and innovative
engineering
 Took inspiration from the nature(Tree)
 His philosophy includes city should be able to be born,
grow, decay and die.
 Justification of function and design
5
 Appealing to emotions and senses
 Need of symbolism
KENZO TANGE – DESIGN THEORY:
 He was pioneer of movement known as “METABOLISM”. (Metabolism was a
post-war Japanese architectural movement that fused ideas about
architectural megastructures with those of organic biological growth.)

 METABOLISM arose in Japan after World War II, and much of work
produced by the movement is concerned with housing issues.
 In his view, the traditional laws of fixed forms and function were obsolete.
 His vision for cities of future inhabited by a mass society were
characterized by a large scale, flexible and expandable structures that
evoked the process of the organic growth.
 Distinguish soft and hard environment
 Le Corbusier five main points are also included in Tange’s philosophy
Pilotis Ribbon Glazing
Open plan Free façade
Roof garden

Architects 6
Building Form
Idea Tradition
Act as a catalyst
Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum-
The rhythmical facade
comprises vertical
elements that repeat
outward from center.

Kenzo Tange’s own

house- it is fused with a
more traditional
Japanese design that
uses timber and paper.
The house is based on
the traditional Japanese
module.
7
MAJOR WORKS

 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum ,Hiroshima

1955.

 Yoyogi National Gymnasium for the 1964 summer

olympics, Tokyo.

 St. Mary’s Cathedral (Tokyo Cathedral), Tokyo in

1964.

 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 1986

 UOB Plaza in Singapore in 1992.

 Fuji Television HQ Building, Odaiba, Tokyo in 1996. 8

 Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in 1991.

9
1.Yoyogi National Gymnasium for the 1964 Olympics, Tokyo
Location - Tokyo, Japan
Time - 1961-1964
Type - Sports Stadium
Style - Modern
Construction - Concrete and
Steel.

CONCEPT
Concept of Suspension
bridges
Achieved this by channeling
of tensions of the main span
over the towers to the side 10
spans.
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
 This project took dramatic forms.
 Main two stadiums are there and linkage is through the
immense raked promenade.
 Both the buildings develop from the circle and ellipse in
plan and section.
AREA STATEMENT:
Site - 34.204 hectare.
Floor Area - 910 sq. meter.
MAJOR STADIUM :
Floors - 2 above ground, 2 basement

Maximum Height - 40.37 meter.

MINOR STADIUM :
Floors - 1 above ground, 2 basement
11
Maximum Height - 40.29 meter.
12
 13

OLYMPIC SPORTS STADIUM / YOYOGI NATIONAL GYMNASIUM, TOKYO

 The most famous work by Kenzo Tange.
 Built for the Olympics in 1964.
 It is comprised of two buildings.
 Inspired by the skyline of the Colosseum in Rome
 The gymnasium has a capacity of approximately 16,000 & smaller
building can accommodate up 5,300 people
 Its aerodynamic monumental and suggestive design became an
icon of the Japanese capital
distancing himself from the
international style.
LOCATION:
 The two gym are placed in a
landscape platform.
 Despite their monumental size, they
give the impression that the park 14
itself, emphasizes its relationship
with the surrounding environment.
CONCEPT:

 Influenced by Le Corbusier’s Philip’s

Pavilion and Eero Saarinen’s hockey
stadium at Yale University, Tange
became intrigued with structure and its
tensile and geometric potential.
 Tange employs a central structural
spine(two large steel cables) from where
the structure and roof originates.
 Both axes are arranged in an east-west
,which is also the predominant direction
of plot.

15
16
ROOF STRUCTURE:
The roof over stands, having
different curvature from that of the
cables, generates an elegant and
graceful roofing structure ,whose
surface, concave and convex at
the same time ( a mix of parabola
and hyperbola) is called a
hyperbolic paraboloid.
CONSTRUCTION:
 Two main super pylons were build first.
 Rope extended beyond these columns to be suspended in center and side spans.
 Side ropes were then arranged in suspended state and their length is adjusted to
co-operate equally their load.
 Ropes were bounded from the parallel main cable.
17
 Cables were then pulled transversally to expand the space between two main
cables.
 Central span is maintained by introduced stiffening truss in them.
 FAÇADE:

 Kenzo tange takes advantage of the gap

between the two curves to propose an
imposing triangular access, giving the
building a feeling of lightness.
 Both accesses are preceded by concourses
or squares, which are distinguished from the
rest of the park by small atrium.

 Another detail that provides visual

lightness to the structure is graceful
cantilevers containing the stands
that give the impression that the
building would levitate.
18
 These stands also accommodate
the rhythmically arranged opening.
 MINOR STADIUM :

 The space is organized around

two non- concentric circles,
and therefore some stands are
larger than opposite, unlike the
main gym, this has one
structural column and one
single entry.
 This stadium is situated to the south west of major stadium.
 Connecting to the major by a way of series of underground and
ground level facility.
 Form is based on a circle.
 Skin which roofs the building is suspended from an eccentric mast.
 The roof is slung on long cable from the outside it sweeps up to be 19
furled or rolled up round a central protruding rod.
 The roof and the space it defines compose of single individual whole.
FAÇADE:
 A small square precedes the gym, landscaped with a small Japanese -
style pond. As in the other gym, the roof also seems to be rising from the
park.

 For the smaller gym ,the Japanese master used the same principal, only
instead of using two slabs, using a single like a gigantic mast.

 The fusion of Japanese architectural aesthetic and western modernist

design, the gymnasium’s structural system resembles a snails shell, but in a
more contextual sense, the gymnasiums low profile and sweeping roof forms
some semblance to that of an abstracted Japanese pagoda.

20
21
22
23
ST MARY'S CATHEDRAL
Tokyo, Japan 1964
St. Mary's Cathedral is located in
Bunkyo ward, Tokyo. The original
structure of 1899 was a wooden
building in the Gothic style. It was
burned during World War II.
The plan of the building is in the
form of a cross, from which eight
hyperbolic parabolas rise and
then open upwards to form a
cross of light which continues
vertically the length of the four
facades.
 The bell towers at 60m and
stands at little distance from the
main building.
The exterior surfaces are clad in
stainless steel, which gives them a
special radiance in keeping with 24
the religious character of the
building
The eight walls are at the
same time roof and walls,
enclosing the space and
opening to the outside
through vertical gaps. The
walls are curved
hyperbolically to express the
tension to the sky, and turning
the rhomboidal ground floor
into a cross at the roof top.
The parabolas open
upwards to form a cross of
light, which continues
vertically along the length of
the four facades. To this rhomboid volume other secondary constructions are
added,
. including the baptistry and the baptismal font.
The rectangular shapes contrast with the symbolic character of the cathedral.
The bell tower is 61.6 m (202 ft) high, standing a short distance away from the
main building. The exterior cladding is made of stainless steel. In 2004 a large
organ built by Italian firm Mascioni was installed.
The reflection of the sunlight on the stainless steel external cladding looks as
25a
shining dress on the hard concrete slabs. Although it is a monochromatic
cladding, the curves and the U-shaped profiles enhance the dynamicity of the
structure. It all makes the church an iconic building in the dense urban context
For his Tokyo Cathedral of Saint Mary, Tange
visited several medieval Gothic examples. "After
experiencing their heaven-aspiring grandeur 26
and ineffably mystical spaces," he says, "I began
to imagine new spaces, and wanted to create
them by means of modern technology."
27
FUJI TELIVISION HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

28
Construction of Fuji
Television's new headquarters
- the Fuji Television Building - in
the waterfront area of Tokyo's
Minato district has been
completed, and broadcasting
from the new location
commenced at the end of
March 1997.
The new building - designed
by Kenzo Tange Associates -
adds to the dynamic skyline
and is a superb complement
to the architecturally
innovative buildings of the
waterfront area.
More than just a building with a unique design,
the new headquarters houses a high-profile 29
next-generation broadcasting center with an
eye to the future
On the left side of the new headquarters
is the media tower, which is also home to
the Nippon Broadcasting Company, and
on the right is the office tower.
Between the towers is a group of large
studios arranged side by side.
The media and office towers are
connected by three enclosed pedestrian
bridges dubbed "sky corridors.“
30
Just to the left of the media tower is a unique
spherical observation platform, with 53 square
meters of floor space and a 32-meter diameter.
The headquarters has 25
aboveground and 2 underground
floors. The building stands 123.45
meters high and comprises a total
floor space of 142,800 square
meters.
An important consideration when
designing this kind of building is
ensuring adequate space for
people to gather and exchange
ideas.
The headquarters' 4.8-meter-wide
corridors provide not only
convenient walkways but valuable The observation platform's external
space for casual talk and surface is salt air damage resistant
impromptu discussion. titanium that features an appealing
 The building's design emphasizes reflective finish with a crisp color that
space and openness, which are is pleasant to the eye.
important concepts to the image Aluminum curtain wall was used
that Fuji Television wants to . for the outside walls of the building
In addition, the corridors to project a transparent image in
connecting the two towers 31
line with the idea of a broadcasting
strengthen the structure, making it center open to new ideas and the
highly earthquake resistant. public.
In addition to his architectural practice, Kenzo Tange has been a
guest professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as
a lecturer at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Washington University, Illinois
Institute of Technology, the University of California at Berkeley, and
the Universities of Alabama and Toronto.

32