“Crossover Architecture” Brings Some Austrian Countryside to the Bustle of Tokyo

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“Crossover Architecture” Brings Some Austrian Countryside to the Bustle of Tokyo December 01, 2011

The composer Franz Liszt was not your average composer — not one to stand stiffly on stage keeping the beat, his style was more akin to that of a rock star. Hailed as a revolutionary of performance, he was sort of like the Elvis of his day. Turning his piano to the crowd so all could watch as he tickled the ivories, he was known to rally his audience into fervor. Women swooned. He later went on to set a new standard in the art of conducting — injecting the role of a human metronome with dynamism and interpretive expertise. As the best of the best so often do, he ultimately started his own music school, teaching that above all else an artist needs to learn how to express his own unique vision and style.

Hiroshi Hara — Raiding, Austria

Just last month the world celebrated Franz Liszt’s 200th birthday, and his hometown of Raiding, located just 50 miles/80 kilometers south of Vienna in the rolling hills of the Austrian countryside, went big to commemorate their most famous citizen.

The salon of genre-defying models and drawings by 10 influential Japanese architects that were on display earlier this Fall at BMW Group Studio in Tokyo would surely be the type of envelope-pushing creative endeavors Liszt would have admired. Perhaps he’d be even more pleased if he were to learn that the inventive structures will — in the coming years — support visiting artists and musicians in the very town he grew up in.

BMW Group Studio Tokyo

Each architect was given the challenge of developing plans for a small, 25 square meter structure that innovatively addresses the needs of a fast-paced mega-city lifestyle, while simultaneously incorporating the relaxed environment of the Raiding countryside that the structure will rest in.

"Stork House" — Terunobu Fujimori

Among these is the “Stork House” by Terunobu Fujimori, able to accommodate a total of four people and — in keeping with the theme pioneering housing — at least one migrating stork. Like the creatives that will come from across the globe to be temporary residents of the “Stork House,” storks regularly fly in all the way from South Africa and stop in Raiding during their migration North.

"Model 6" — Kengo Kuma

Other projects will involve the use of truly inventive materials. Concrete is normally thought of as more on par with granite than glass, but “Model 6” by Kengo Kuma discovers a means of presenting the divergent qualities of these materials simultaneously with translucent concrete. He wanted to draw attention to the fact that closer inspection of society’s many dwellings will ultimately prove that it’s not so much about the walls we construct but the spaces we sculpt. “Model 6” let’s you meditate on both.

Renowned architect Hiroshi Hara was especially busy for the Raiding Project, developing two unique structures that embody the “crossover” concept. The first is the “Raiding Cube,” a 5x5 meter cube designed to function as an easy to assemble and transport miniature performance hall, suitable for a single piano player and an audience of only a few. A special feature also designed by Hara for the show is the “Cap & Camp.” Appealing to the mobility of the modern man, straddling multiple environs, Hara envisioned a shelter of flexible identity. The “Cap & Camp” is a unique structure designed specifically for a MINI Countryman, able to function both as a mobile garage, and as a small day-shelter for the driver and friends. Whether one needs protection from an impending storm, or a little extra shade during a picnic, the “Cap & Camp” has you covered.

"Cap & Camp" — Hiroshi Hara

Take a look at the other innovative designs showcased in the gallery below, and get to know some of the creative concepts presented at the exhibition that had one foot in the countryside of Austria, and another in Japan.