|
The Laboratory
of Regional Design with Ecology, Hosei University
is holding this year's annual International Symposium on 7 June 2005:
"
The Aegean Sea and the Japan Sea: A Comparison of Vernacular Villages
Located along the Sea"
Date:07 June, 2005 (Wednesday)
13:00 - 17:00
Place:Sky Hall, 26th Floor, Boissonade Tower, Ichigaya Campus, Hosei
University, Tokyo
|
|
![](../../../graphics/space.gif)
"The Aegean Crucible: A Geopolitical
Perspective of Fortified Towns in the Aegean Archipelago"
Constantine Michaelides
Dean Emeritus of Washington University
in St. Louis
The
Mediterranean is the closed ocean. The Aegean architectural style
has been greatly influenced by the natural feature and geographical
characteristic like a crucible. An Aegean building has not clearly
been classified as formal or vernacular. However all through the
ages, a formal structure is ordered, owned and used by person in
the position of power, including a king, president or government.
On the contrary, a vernacular structure is owned by its inhabitant.
These two kinds of structures are not opposed, but mixed, complemented,
and coexisted.
In the Mediterranean, Islam and Christianity were opposed to each other; in addition,
the ocean was infested with pirates. The pirates descended on commercial ships,
and used captured sailors as galley slaves. Because the piracies were frequently
occurred, Aegean buildings had protective features and fortresses composed of
structures were constructed on top of the island. The acropolis including a sort
of Parthenon style structure functioned as a fortress, around which vernacular
residences were spread, and both composed a settlement as a whole. The land feature
effectively provided protective measures against piracies. The coexistence of
the styled architecture and vernacular buildings has continued.
In the neoclassical era of the West, Greek classic architecture was "found
out" and realistically drawn in pictures, along with vernacular settlements.
The movement inspired Greece after 1820, as well as the formation period of the
modern nation in the 1830's. In 1836, the assembly hall of Athens, the early
building in this modern state, was constructed in neoclassical (:formal) style
influenced by the Western Enlightenment. However, vernacular buildings have always
coexisted with formal ones, instead of being replaced by them. The settlement
of immigrants who engaged in the construction of modern buildings in Athens,
presented vernacular residential spaces; the place has been preserved until now,
as an example of the construction process of modern Greece. Furthermore, we can
see vernacular residences influenced by the formal architecture, with entrance
composed of two pillars and pediment, or with the pediment decorated with a relief
of human figure. As we have seen, an architectural style is formed by the interaction
of a formal building and a vernacular one; the observation of such mixed style
will give us the understanding of the lifestyle and culture of each region.
|
![](../../../graphics/space.gif)
|
|
[Fig.
1 Fortified colony, Sifnos] |
|
[Fig.2 Vernacular
buildings and formal architecture] |
|
[Fig.3
Assembly hall of Athens] |
|
[Fig.4
Stylized vernacular residence] |
|
|
![](../../../graphics/space.gif)
"Life Space
of Ineura: A Fishing Village Facing the Sea of Japan"
Susumu Hyuga
Professor at Kyoto Institute of Technology
Ine-ura
(fleet) is the first fishing village classified as "Important
Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings" in
2005. Ine is located in the north of Kyoto, and in the middle of
Tango-hanto (peninsula). Ao-shima (island) is in the mouth of the
bay as if it was a cover to the bay. Therefore, waves are relatively
calm and the tidal variation is approximately 50cm throughout the
year. One of the characteristic landscapes of Ine is the waterfront
with lined funaya (boat houses). The urban landscape of Ine is
composed of funaya with gabled "tsuma-iri" style along
the waterfront, gabled "hira-iri" style main houses on
the other side of a narrow road and religious facilities along
the lower slope of the mountain. The narrow spaces between houses
have been used as shared net-drying places.
However, the town space has been gradually changed. Originally, the boat house
was moved toward the waterfront, allowing the private road between the funaya
and main house to be expanded. Therefore, the funaya is often on the filled land.
However, it is possible that the landscape will be greatly transformed by the
bank protection works against the recent land subsidence. Moreover, a funaya
itself has been changing. A funaya has originally been a warehouse for protecting
a wooden boat against seawater or marine borer. However, along with the grow
in size of a ship, as well as the change of material (wood to FRP), the funaya
could not serve as a shed. According to the change of family, the funaya has
transformed into a living space from a working place. However, the opening at
the ground floor is the remnant from the old landscape. Although there were 17
funaya in 1969, with opened ground floors facing the ocean, only 7 with such
style could be found in 2003. Instead, the funaya without contact to water appeared
around this year. The next level was commonly used as a working space without
opening, though at present, the funaya often has a wide opening or a balcony.
This change can be regarded as the transformation of a funaya to a residence,
or a working space to a living space. Some funaya use their ground floors for
car sheds instead of boats. In fact, there are 220 boats versus 400 vehicles
in Ine; there have been an issue of parking spaces, specific to the land feature
with narrow slopes with this highly densed colony. In addition, there is another
concern to rehabilitation of funaya from tuma-iri to hira-iri style, resulting
to destroy the landscape with continuous view of funaya.
As we have seen, although Ine has been designated as Important Preservation Districts
for Groups of Historic Buildings, it is extremely important to respect the original
landscape of the town by understanding the makeup of the settlement, and to recognize
the town space to be preserved.
|
|
|
[Fig.1.
Air view of Jibi district of Ine-ura] |
|
[Fig.2 Change
of landscape with funaya] |
|
[Fig.3
Panoramic view of Ine-ura] |
|
[Fig.4
Urban space of Ine -composed of ocean, boat houses, narrow
roads, main houses, and mountain] |
|
|