Hiroshi Hara and the Architecture of the New

As a Software Architect, I’m part of a new profession that looks to existing disciplines like physical architecture for models of development. For me the work of Japanese architect Hiroshi Hara is interesting in his attempts to integrate modernistic designs with traditional Japanese themes.

Hara’s most famous work is the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka which creates the impression of a floating garden in the air. I actually like two of his other projects more as they show how the architect resolved unique challenges in the design. One is Kyoto Station, a job where Hara had the impossible task of reconciling wildly differing visions of resident groups while building a structure too big for the space.

Hara’s design is a tall glass and steel structure filled with stores and restaurants that he says reflects a traditional Kyoto neighborhood, looking inward to a vibrant community while reflecting only the surrounding environment to the outside world.

This fit the needs of those favoring development in the city who wanted a building personifying Kyoto’s status as home to major corporations like Nintendo, while establishing a precedent for taller buildings. Traditionalists who desired a more organic design complementing the horizontal nature of traditional Kyoto structures while connecting the Northern and Southern parts of the city were disappointed.

Hara confronted a different type of environmental challenge in Hokkaido when he designed the Sapporo Dome for the 2002 World Cup. The structure has a variety of technical innovations including a grass field that rides on a cushion of air when being moved into place and a sleek aerodynamic dome. The heavy snowfalls in Northern Japan however led to the singular problem of giant snow drifts sliding off the roof’s smooth surface onto the sidewalk below, creating a hazard in winter. In describing this situation, Hara made a comment I’ve found very useful to remember in my practice: “ Innovative designs sometimes lead to unique problems”.