Japanese modern Architecture

My Grad Show collection is inspired by japan's modern architecture. Japan is a well developed and innovative country and it is also famous for its radical residential architecture. 

Japanese architecture has a very long history. It is considered to have begun in the  fifth century BC. Some evidences of prehistoric architecture from this time has survived in the form of terra-cotta houses and pit houses built by the Japanese neolithic tribe, known as Jomon. Since that time architecture in Japan has changed  considerably, developing a variety of traditional styles and different types of designs. Japanese contemporary architecture is exiting and at the same time influential all over the world. 

When Japan opened it doors to the rest of the world in 1868, Western architecture began to replace traditional Japanese building. Architects in Japan started to combine traditional methods of wooden constructions with European design. They also expanded the materials used for the buildings including concrete and steel.

After World War I, under the influence of  Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright,  Japanese architecture began to make their own original contributions to the modern architecture. Japanese architects such as Tange Kenzo or Arata Isozaki created a unique style and developed international modern design. Tange's National Gymnasium completed in 1964, is a fine example of blending new styles with traditional Japanese characteristics.

    In the 1960's Japanese architects such as Shinohara Kazuo, Kurokawa Kisho and Maki Fumihiko started a new architectural movement known as Metabolism. This style combines fixed forms of the buildings with flexible spaces and functions. Shinohara's Centential Hall at Tokyo's Institute of Technology is a prime example of contemporary architecture that combines postmodern clashing forms with elegant Japanese style. Kurokawa blends in his design building traditions with modern influence, while Maki, in his minimal arts, emphasizes the elements of nature.

    In the 1980's the second generation of Japanese architects, exploring both modern and postmodern design, started to contribute to the development of contemporary architecture.  Artists such as Ando Tadao, Hasegawa Itsuko and Toyo Ito began to gain high appreciation among worldwide architects. For instance Ando developed a radically new style and is considered to be one of the most influential architects today. His buildings often combine geometric simplicity with unfinished concrete and glass structures to contrast modern society and urban chaos with clarity that characterize traditional Japanese architecture.