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Fragile Relation of Old and New

Part 1 Project 2008
Tokuichiro Oba
 University of East London London | UK
The project started from intuitive and experimental exercise of analyzing the historic building and testing the material 'Clay'. The materiality of Clay and Ceramic object brought an interesting dialogue between initial drawing and the achieved object that the idea did not translate directly into material.

This tension (fragility) between the idea and achievement could be summarized in a word "Tolerance". The idea of tolerance is exploited in the relationship of time, drawing and material throughout.

As an architectural intervention always causes some level of tolerance, this project attempts to develop the idea and discuss the real architectural quality through it.


Signing up to a Diploma Unit as an undergraduate student, Tokuichiro rose to the challenge and produced an exceptionally mature body of work throughout the course of the year. With great tenacity, his project remained steadfast in its provocation of the themes of tolerance and fragility from the scale of the city to that of the finer detailing of the building. The resultant building proposal, a ceramic school, is a confident reworking of an abandoned palazzo in Palermo that has both a robustness and gentle sensibility; often poignantly setting refined elements against a stripped back raw interior. A building whose own history is not ignored but enhanced and whose spaces are accommodating in the most generous of ways, responding to the inhabitants and their needs as well offering a higher level of ambition of urban re-development to a changing quarter of this city.

2008
Palermo Ceramic School of Restoration
The first project is to analyze the building of Filippo Brunelleschii. This project set out the idea of 'adjustment' and 'tolerance'.
The idea of tolerance and incongruity were explored further in the movie "The Sacrifice". The method of burning the drawing was introduced to blur the edge and express the idea of "unfittingness"
The idea of burned drawing was translated to material "clay". The ceramic object is made out of fragments of the film and interlocked together with furniture which was a tool to measure in the film.
Steel frame was designed to accentuate the quality of ceramic that cracked, shrinked and distorted.
In the old city of Palermo, the ruins are abandoned and that is separating the activities on site, the famous Ballaro market and the traffic area.
Section of the site shows an interesting topography that is a potential tool to enrich the activities on site.
Just after seeing the site, first instinctive idea was immediately drawn up in a form of collage. It was to connect all the activities scattered around the site.
The proposed ceramic school intend to re-organize the surrounding topography and renovate the ruin in finesse, without loosing its quality.
The re-routing and the location of the building connects the two piazzas around the site and also the Ballaro Market. The activity of ceramic can also be involved in this rich environment.
Topography is manipulated to separate the activity of market and the school.
Rooms are designed inside the building.
Bay-window is designed that is a unit of bed and a cupboard. It keeps all the personal belonging in the most crafted part of the building and enlarge the public space.
The view from the concrete building inside the existing ruin
The idea of tolerance is consistently used in the detail of the building. It allows some climate to softly come inside and the detailing acknowledges the presence of the climate.
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