9-4 Design the Skeleton with a Sense of Flow —Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers and HOKI Museum—

While I can’t help but marvel at “the intricacy of living organisms,” the mechanisms of architecture might be likened to the functions of living organisms.The skeletal system of a living organism can be likened to a structural system; the respiratory system to a HVAC system; the digestive system to a heating system; the circulatory system to a plumbing system; and the nervous system to an electrical and control system.Just as malfunctions in the human body tend to occur more frequently in the circulatory, respiratory, and nervous systems than in the skeletal system, even buildings with structural integrity lasting over 100 years cannot extend their lifespan without updating their mechanical systems.
Just as the skeletal systems of living organisms—ranging from exoskeletons to vertebrates—take various forms, creative structural design in architecture can also realize groundbreaking and iconic forms.

In 2008, a building with a distinctive spiral shape appeared in front of Nagoya Station. It is a complex housing vocational schools specializing in three fields: fashion design, IT, and healthcare.The client identified creating an environment that fosters creative students as a top priority and requested a groundbreaking design that would set it apart from ordinary buildings. This building not only inspires students aspiring to become designers and IT creators but also serves as a symbol of Nagoya’s energy right in front of Nagoya Station.

This building has a structural system that resembles the human body. In our bodies, even when we twist and rotate sharply, the spine absorbs that rotational force, which is then transmitted through the spine to the two legs connected to the pelvis, allowing us to brace ourselves firmly against the ground with those two legs.At the center of the “Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers” is a cylindrical, extremely rigid structure called the “Inner Tube”; this spine-like structure absorbs the torsional forces generated within the building.Just as important nerves run up and down the human spine—connecting the brain to the nervous system throughout the body—this inner tube is filled with vertical shafts for elevators, stairs, and electrical lines, much like the spine.Furthermore, just as the human head—with its considerable weight—helps stabilize the body to prevent it from swaying, the very top of the Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers features a seismic damping system consisting of a 250-metric-ton counterweight—much like a human head—that works to reduce the building’s sway during earthquakes.

The Guggenheim Museum in New York, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and opened in 1939, is designed so that visitors can slowly descend from the top of the spiral gallery—which resembles a snail shell—while viewing the paintings.

HOKI Museum, Japan’s first museum dedicated exclusively to realist painting, is also designed so that visitors can view the paintings in a single continuous path, much like the Guggenheim Museum in New York.To view the approximately 200 realistic miniatures on display in a single continuous path, a length of about 500 meters is required; however, this length is divided into sections of approximately 60 to 100 meters each and designed as a tube with a series of gently curving, overlapping sections. HOKI Museum The tube incorporates meticulous design details utilizing various cutting-edge technologies to allow visitors to slowly savor and appreciate the realistic paintings in an optimal environment; in 2011, it won the 7th Japan Architecture Grand Prize.

The arc-shaped tube gallery is constructed as a seamless, box-like structure, resembling a living organism with an exoskeleton. The topmost tube, which is 100 meters long, is made of steel plate and is supported by only two points.At the tip of the tube, where the supporting soil layer suddenly deepens, a 30-meter cantilever was employed to eliminate the need for columns and underground foundation piles. More than that, however, this 30-meter cantilever creates a striking form that leaves a lasting impression on visitors.

In these two buildings—Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers and HOKI Museum—the “flow of force” can be implicitly sensed within their forms. While both have become iconic forms with a strong presence, it is believed that the power inherent in the site itself was the driving force behind the creation of these forms. Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers In the case of the Nagoya Station project, the site was located in a highly promising area, and for the HOKI Museum project, the site was a narrow, elongated plot flanked by parkland. The power inherent in these “places” gave rise to these expansive forms.
There is another common thread in the creation of these two buildings: each had a single, highly imaginative client. The clients themselves possessed remarkable imagination, which resonated with the architects’ vision, amplifying their collective creativity and giving rise to these two remarkable buildings.

At a time when society’s imagination has become increasingly homogenized, there is something about the “essence” of these two buildings that stirs people’s hearts.

(References)
(2008) *Nikkei Architecture*, January 28, 2008 issue, Nikkei BP
(2011) *Architectural Technology, February 2011 Issue, No. 733*, Nikken Sekkei
(2011) *NIKKEN JOURNAL 06*, Nikken Sekkei