RHNowadays, do contemporary architects have to re-think the meaning of “safety,” “security” and “protection” in their work?
JAThere is no general answer to that. I changed my design for the Louis Vuitton building in New York in response to 9/11 not to make the building safer but to protect the feelings of the New Yorkers. The opaque graduation of the surface allows for individual readings: some New Yorkers will think it’s quiet, others might see a crystal, some might see Louis Vuitton. To use a Disney World approach promoting only commerce would be disrespectful to Manhattan. In Tokyo I pity the destruction of the Dojunkai Apartments. I think those traditional buildings from the Taisho era should have been protected. They provided the Omotesando area with a unique and happy identity. Once they were gone the new buildings confirmed what started years ago: namely that architecturally Tokyo turns into a stage, a superficial Disney-style stage-set city.
RHDo materials influence your style?
JAWhen designing I always start out with space. After that I think about materials. You could say space design dominates materials. Time-wise, however, it’s another story. Once I deal with materials they consume up to 80% of my available project schedule.
RHAre there materials that you wish would be the subject of more research?
JAAs an architect who also builds fantasies and illusions I want to eliminate the sense of scale. Glass or steel for instance both have scale. Their use is limited in terms of size, weight and transport and they need joints and connectors. Like in a M. C. Escher drawing, I want to create a homogeneous atmosphere where you don’t know where things start and end. For that I need non-scale materials like asphalt or certain synthetic substances that are still in short supply.
