Oversea Research Project Research Meeting
" Environment and Culture of Italian Cities"

Date： 3, Dec. 2007 (Mon) 18:00-21:00
Place: Sotobori Building Room 301, Ichigaya Campus, Hosei University

"Beautiful Laguna in Venice Seen Through a Finder"
Hiroshi Kawanagi, Photographer
I was born in 1947 along Onagigawa Bridge and grown up seeing the canal. I visited Venice in 1973 and started to take pictures of Laguna because I was interested in livings on Laguna which have much in common with old Fukagawa and Onagigawa areas.
　I compared pictures of Venice and Onagigawa focused on working ships when discharging cargos, etc. They showed livings along waterfront, and I was really impressed by common landscapes.
　In 2003, I took a boat trip from Japan to Venice for 40 days, from the thoughts that water flowing within Venice might lead to Japan.
　I made a voyage across Asia, Arabian Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, and to Venice. There were many things which could only be seen from a ship. In Mare, a little boat came and went between fishing boats. In Suez Port, Elbara bypass was used for ships passing by. The ships seemed to proceed on the desert. Finally, from the Adriatic Sea, I arrived to Venice through Laguna.
　When I took pictures of Venice, I focused on the common points of Fugakawa and Venice such as living on water, e.g., discharging cargos by hand instead of machines. Furthermore, water, sky and light of Venice always inspire photographers including me.
　Venice reminds me of my hometown. In Grado, the signs indicating the direction for Venice and Trieste can be found, while in Laguna Veneta, original landscape of Laguna can be seen.
　In Pellestrina Island, I met an old woman who made lace stitches for her granddaughter, and saw a shipyard constructing wooden ships. The hutches made by hand on the sea which had been used as a warehouse of fishing gears, were used as ateliers and date spots. In Chioggia, I could see a fish market, and an old woman who made fishing gears. Between Chioggia and Sotto Marina, a place for prayer on Laguna could be found. In some areas, Salicornia grew proliferously as in Hokkaido. As described above, in Laguna, we can see various landscapes closely linked to the livings with water.
　Now I will show photos of Venice.
　When aqua alta occurs, Venice presents different landscapes. White curbs are laid on the road along canals near Rialto Bridge. The curbs indicate the border between the canal and roads, preventing pedestrians from falling into the canal. Children were swimming and practicing to pull oars. Venice could not function when the water level becomes too low. The pictures of Rialto Bridge which I took show that the bridge transforms itself along with the time, and it serves roles as a meeting place.
　To see landscape through a finder is to highlight what we want to see or to show, by trimming surrounding landscape away.

"Kaishu of Historical Architecture in Italy and Japan―Case Studies and Operational Methodology"
Hidemichi Takasaka, Nihon Sekkei Inc.
After graduated Tokyo University at Faculty of Architecture, I studied at Roma University in the doctor course of Department of Architecture. I got a PhD studying "ricupero" and now work for Nihon Sekkei Inc.
　As "Chapter 1: Kaishu of Historical Architecture in Roma", I will explain the definitions of words relating to architectural intervention, and show research results of kaishu in Roma. In Japan, words relating to architectural intervention have been used based on insufficient interpretations and definitions. Prof. Piero Ostilio Rossi said that in Italy, words relating to intervention have been variously defined by nuances and used as Eskimos distinguish snow based on size, weight, temperature, humidity, etc. For example, "restauro" (restoration) and "ricupero" (recuperation) are both commonly translated into "restoration"(改修, kaishu), though they have different nuances. In restauro, functions can be newly added, though shape of the building can not be changed in principle. In ricupero, shape of the building can be changed. Therefore it allows wider ranges of intervention than restauro. The words relating to intervention can be listed as follows: intervento (intervention), transformazione (transformation), ristrutturazione (reconstruction), riorganizazzione (reorganization), risanamento (redevelopment), ripristino (reproduction), rinnovamento (renewal), conversione (conversion), restyling (restyling), conservazione (conservation), riconstruzione (reconstruction), etc. I redefined these words, and compared with Japanese words. I will introduce eleven cases of intervention in Roma. In Crinale stable facility, spiral staircase was added in my intervention plan (Fig.1). This was the good example of ricupero because a different shape than the original one was added to the inner space. Ruins of Mercati Traianei (Fig.2) is one of the representative cases of restauro because original shapes of stairs within Grande Aula and those between Grande Aula to Foro di Traiano are retained, respecting historical values. In the tower of Alitalia (Fig.3), restyling was applied to transform existing images of the architecture into another one. This method seems to be most commonly seen in Japan.
　As Chapter 2, I will introduce some cases of Kaishu for historical buildings in Japan; for example, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Meiji Seimei Kan of Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company Building, Dojunkai Aoyama Apartment Building, and Grand Shrine of Ise. Professors of Roma University wondered why Dojunkai Apartment was demolished and impressed that the reconstruction at defined interval of Grand Shrine of Ise was started in ancient times.
　In the next place, as Chapter 3: Comparative Study of Kaishu as Intervention for Historical Architecture in Roma and Japan, I compared various phases relating to kaishu between Italy and Japan, such as architectural, cultural, economic, legal, political, organizational, historical, geographical and ideological viewpoints. Then I compared kaishu of Italy and Japan from functional viewpoint, through industrial architecture, office buildings, residences, religious architecture, and art museum or exposition spaces. Since 1960, regulations on urban planning and conservation of historical architecture have been strictly established in Italy. A kaishu plan is discussed in detail and often for long periods, and is not always completed. In academic education, kaishu is fit into the course as one of the important fields. The administrative department relating to kaishu include Ministero per i Beni e le attivita` Culturali (minister of cultural property) which is in charge of kaishu and conservation of architecture, and Soprintendenza (Inspection Bureau). They carry major roles in construction works. An old material bank is sometimes prepared for kaishu works. Such stock system helps to restore buildings as near as possible to original conditions.
　In Chapter 4, as conclusion, I focused on the needs to regain physical intensity, and to response aesthetic, historical and usability requirements, for kaishu of architecture as an art work. As for materials configuring architecture, it is required to perfectly understand the concept of each material. The materials as an expression of architectural image, are divided into structure and appearance. It is difficult to restore every materials making up architecture to original state, though it is required to retain an original as the real thing in somewhere of the structure. In regard to composition of internal space, for regeneration of attractive spaces based on kaishu, the methods for layout and link between existing and new architecture are important, rather than the resulting atmosphere, which is often affected by subjectivity such as "harmony", "tension", etc. As for conversion of functions and value judgment, it is important to decide what to be kept based on evaluation of compatibility between original functions and newly specified usage. Furthermore, intervention should retain reversibility and should be re-acknowledged.
　Though it is not appropriate to apply the methodology of kaishu in Italy to Japan, essential elements for kaishu can be shared universally. It will be necessary to explore various possibilities of kaishu in Japan from economical and legal points of view. Based on the difference between Japan and Italy lying in the historical position and education, we should communicate the attractiveness of revitalized spaces through kaishu, and how they could become attractive. We might feel the attractiveness of historical buildings, on the cross points of four elements: history, beauty, modernity and time. We used to consider the newest thing to be modern, though it is only the first page of the layers of history; by turning these pages, depth or affluence can also be found in modernity.