The Domesticated City:
Contemporary Public Spaces in Tokyo and Seoul
Dr Jorge Almazán
Keio University, Tokyo
1:00-2:00pm
Monday, 23 November
Japanese Room
Architecture building
In Tokyo public space is rapidly changing: an increasing number of publicly accessible spaces are acquiring the attributes usually associated with home: privacy, intimacy, comfort, convenience and efficiency. The evidence of that trend is present in different spatial configurations and across scales: commercial establishments offering domestic-like interior (dividual space); the generic multi-tenant buildings directly connected to the street (zakkyo architecture); and commercial districts revolving around major railway hubs (transit urban centers). Similar configurations can be found in Seoul, suggesting that this trend corresponds to the shared metropolitan condition of high density and daily mobility, increasing individualism and expanded information technology. Often overlooked as ordinary entertainment or urban by-products, and neglected in architectural and urban research, the domesticated urban spaces explained in this presentation have nevertheless become an integral part of urban life and expanded its possibilities in Tokyo and Seoul. Through their analysis we can postulate an alternative set of design principles for public space, different from those established by the European-Western tradition, but probably more appropriate for cities undergoing similar contemporary metropolitan conditions.
Jorge Almazán was born in Alicante (Spain) in 1977 has studied at the Madrid School of Architecture and the Technische Universität Darmstadt. He completed his Doctoral Degree at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2007. Professional experience in Tokyo includes collaborations with SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa Associates) and Atelier Bow-Wow. In 2008 he held the position of Invited Professor at the University of Seoul and since April 2009 he teaches and does research at Keio University (Tokyo).
Chaired by Professor Kim Dovey