AAVS Osaka Workshop

The AAVS Osaka is a 12 days design and build workshop (taking place March 13 – 24, 2019, at the Takenaka Carpentry Museum) that combines traditional Japanese wooden techniques, used for centuries to build temples, and advanced fabrication techniques. It aims at realizing a tower-like pavilion that takes advantage of old carpentry skills and algorithmic design through a series of practical workshops and lectures given by experts and tutors.
For Takenaka Corporation – which is engaged in a wide variety of design and construction projects, from traditional buildings to offices and houses – “the craft of carpentry” is the foundation of its 400-year history. Wood crafting techniques and tools have been handed down for generations in Japan, where wooden buildings and parts hold deep meaning. It is often thought that technology will soon supersede human labor. However, there are many metaphysical concepts that machines cannot learn. Carpenters have advanced techniques and knowledge about traditional buildings, wooden design and construction, while the younger generation has experience and knowledge concerning robots, advanced fabrication technology and the virtual world. Takenaka Corporation, as Japan’s leading design and construction company, seeks to create a dawn of new building techniques by joining these two generations.
In this workshop, the domains of both the traditional and cutting edge (through lectures and model creation, as well as practical wood manufacturing workshops) will be analyzed, with the cooperation of the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, and visit real-life examples of traditional architecture (the Tōdai-ji Temple, the Hōryū-ji temple, and others). After gaining a good understanding of historical values, design and construct small wooden pavilions will take place, while considering how new technologies can support and make use of traditional architectural culture. The aim of workshop is to learn the importance of not only the “form” of traditional wooden buildings, but also their structural ingenuity, systems of measurement, rituals and ceremonies, the value of ornamentation, and more. Through this workshop, participants will learn about Japanese wooden traditional buildings, from history to realization, understanding through lectures and hands-on workshops. In addition, skills on how to structurally analyze complex structures through specific software will be developed as well as how to move from model to realization thanks to introduction to traditional and advanced machinery. Practical hands-on skills will be part of the learning process as the last part of the visiting school foresees design, assembly and construction of the pavilion.

The workshop is open to current architecture and design students, PhD candidates and young professionals. Software Requirements: Adobe Creative Suite, Rhino (latest release), Grasshopper and plugins. A Basic knowledge of Grasshopper is required. Deadline for application is February 27, 2019.

For more information, visit osaka.aaschool.ac.uk.