THINK BIG: SENDAI 仙台

john kotaro barnesSendai workshop - Prof. kunio kudo

spring 2012

Recovery in the Aftermath of the 3/11/11 Tsunami

IIIIII

Sendai: Disaster Area Site VisitThink Tank: Workshop

Spacial Layering

SENDAI: SITE VISIT20:30 Boarded Shinkansen to Sendai from Tokyo Sta-tion

21:30 Arrived in Sendai

22:00 Earth Quake

The streets within the city of Sendai appeared as any

bustling town should on a Saturday night in Japan. A

group of punk rockers smoke outside a convenience

store. A small earthquake shakes the overpass as we

walk from our hotel. A group of young college kids

begin sprinting as if to test our nerves. They are not

running from a “disaster” like the one that reached

inland towards the city a year and one week ago. Their

laughter as they sprint to make sure they catch the last

subway train before the system closes eases our nerves.

The memory of the disaster remains all around although

the urban activity stands as a testament to the ability of

human beings to carry on after a “disaster.” However,

even within the context and scale of an earthquake and

tsunami, the transfer of memories through generations

affects the resilience through the next “disaster.” This

event has proved that the usual method of using a sea

wall can, in a large enough event not only fail but am-

plify the impact.

The wall insulates and allows us to forget about the

scale and force of nature behind the tsunami. This

becomes truly disastrous when important decisions are

made behind this wall without the consideration of the

power of the ocean on the other side. The

wall is a overwhelming visual reminder

of the tragic change but not fails to com-

municate the respect of the force and hope

in the face future events. These memories

of what was lost and why are important in

order to recover successfully and sustain-

ably.

3/18/2012

9:00 Lecture at Trunk

10:00 Jun Umenai

11:00 Shunichi Koshimura

12:00 – Site Visit

SENDAI MUNICIPAL WASTE WATER

TREATMENT PLANT

The wastewater treatment plant gave us

a more realistic look on the true strength

of the tsunami: located 200m from the

shoreline, it faced the brunt of the waves

catastrophic force. Not only were there

structural failures and debris still scat-

tered everywhere, the actual displacement

of the buildings and infrastructure of the

plant was measured in meters. However,

the plant’s manager offered us a sign of

hope in that the wastewater treatment plant

was able to rebound fairly quickly con-

ISendai: Disaster Area Site Visit

sidering the damage the entire

system faced. The complete

restoration of utilities was able

to be reached 6 weeks after the

event. Although the employees

of the plant were forced to watch

helplessly from the rooftop of the

plant like many other survivors,

their resilience was inspiring.

In a tsunami event, any delay in

standard infrastructural access

repair is a strain on the entire city

persisting after the event. Resil-

ience and redundancy built into

the system will not only prevent

damage in another event, it will

make recovery smoother.

INCINERATOR

The incinerator is not a cogeneration plant - it’s massive cylinder’s sole purpose is to burn and expulge the de-

bris into the atmosphere and permanent landfills. This was a sign of how daunting the task of the clean-up alone

is. Sometimes there is little option left but to burn it and take the hit. The key may be to learn to take the hit in

stride whereever possible.

DEBRIS SORTING YARDS

Although the magnitude was shown to us just by being in the inundation zone, the scale of the destruction

shown at the yards was almost unfathomable. There were three yards created to handle the waste in just Sen-

dai alone. The disposal and clean-up is targeted to be completed in 2014. As a flesh wound is sterilized and

cleaned, the area will first need to be prepared for any reconstruction and recovery. The debris is first sorted in

separate categories. These categories range from refrigerators tatami mats to concrete rubble and sediment left

behind by the tsunami. However, the hope is this: the clean-up can lead into the recovery and reconstruction

by being recycled and in some cases used as infill on the site.

SCHOOL

The abandoned school was a reminder of the indiscriminate nature of the tsunami event. It is unavoidable and

affects everyone. The schoolyard itself was being used as a sorting yard for vehicular debris. The abandoned

building was a reminder to the potential trauma incurred by the students who survived the event on the roof-

top of the building. Evidence of sediment and waterline were visible up to the 3rd floor. There were cardboard

boxes and pillows still left on the staircase underneath the roof. The students who survived were forced to

seek refuge on the roof and top floor and watch as the tsunami washed everything they have ever known away.

These students were the lucky ones. Those that were picked up by their grandparents or parents after the earth-

quake did not survive the tsunami that followed. Although psychological care may be necessary in many cases,

a strong recovery of their hometown will benefit these young children to cope with the tragedy and to move on

with their lives stronger and not weaker.

Today, Japan’s school system is lacking in mental health specialists even before the disaster. Although the

students learn the tsunami drill much like a fire drill, the teacher’s own traumatic stress is amplified into the

childrens ears during the event. The teachers bang on the walls and scream that the tsunami is coming in order

to help the children understand the seriousness of the disaster. However, these children have lost relatives in

these disasters and these ways of re-education is not helpful in the proper coping of post-traumatic stress. These

actions may save a life but normalize the event much like a wall.

PARK

There is a park that is so close to the shoreline that the sound of the waves can be heard. This park is elevated

about 15m from sea level and is the location where 5 people and a dog’s lives were saved. This simple eleva-

tion change can offer refuge to many people as well as providing recreational spaces in the other 49.99 years

that the tsunami does not happen. If the entire area can become filled with parks, it will make it easier to save

many people in the next event and offer people a way to enjoy life as their lost loved ones would like them to

do. If all those impacted can go on to enjoy the rest of their lives fully, it could signal a successful recovery.

IGUNÉ

In the wake of the tsunami an interesting traditional Japanese typology was left behind relatively unscathed

compared to its surroundings. Igune is a traditional farmhouse typology that is surrounded by trees. The pro-tective ability of vegetation in the event of a tsunami has not only been seen here but also in Indonesia and

other nations that have been hit by tsunamis in recent history.

IIThink Tank: Workshop

THINK TANK: WORKSHOP

After the site visit, seventy or so graduate architecture students from all over the world participated in an in-

tensive round robin think tank workshop where we discussed the disaster and its potential recovery. Many

ideas were thrown out and brain-stormed. In this context, we were able to exchange ideas with not only other

students but students who experienced the disaster first hand in Sendai. One group presented their contempla-

tion behind not doing anything in the disaster area. This brought up the conversation about how to deal with

recovery while preserving the memories of those lost. However, the unfortunate truth is that a funeral is not a

ceremony where the dead are physically present. It is a ceremony that is to aid in the recovery of those who lost

something with the deceased. Doing nothing would be allowing the wound to fester and not taking into consid-

eration to those survivors whose lives were dramatically changed forever as a result of this event. These people

not only desire to return to their lives, many desire to move back into the inundation zone with the knowldege

that another tsunami event is not a possibility but a inevitability. The question became: How can we heal the

scar?

In many of the groups a layering across the horizontal landscape from the sea was explored. The wall insulates

and separates. A system of layers were the distinction between them are created by a less invasive method than

a wall may do more to slowdown a tsunami than a wall that is asked to hold the disaster back completely. This

system may not be able to hold the wave but it may stop its reach inland. These layers may also work well the

other way around when the wave recedes. Our own debris and garbage will be stopped before it has the oppor-

tunity to reach the sea and harming the ocean wildlife that the Japanese are closely dependent on.

In terms of safety, it is important to educate everyone that may be at potential risk. This is everyone who re-

sides or works in the area as well as visitors that happen to be in the area at the moment of the event. In order

to do this, it was discussed that the escape route and protocol should and could be intuitive. On a horizontal

landscape it can be confusing which direction to flee and if one is in danger at all. As the clock winds down

after the earthquake event to the time of impact of the tsunami, this confusion can be the difference between life

and death.

What we learned is that there is a way to survive this event if we have respect for it and proper safety precau-

tions are taken. Similar to the strip that reminds travelers of the potential danger of being close to the track, or

exit signs direct you out of a building in the event of an emergency, the actual intervention does not have to be a

massive wall. However, if this sort of symbolic stripe is employed on a large scale, it can also act as a reminder

of the beauty and fragility of life while not imposing itself on yours.

SPACIAL LAYERING

KYOTO is a city with an immense amount of history. On the first day, to contrast the ur-

ban environment that we would be encompassed in for the remainder of the trip, we began on

the first day ny visiting Kurama Dera. The temple itself was offered extraordinary views and

was fascinating for its age and history. The experience was created by the hike itself, however.

The path leading and spacial stages leading up to the brought us closer to nature and prepared

our souls to enter into the realm of the temple. Although this phenomenological experience is

commanding, it is slow, peaceful, and sustainable.

In a society where distinctions between people, governments, and spaces are actively pursued,

traditional Japanese architecture offers a respite from the brute categorization of our world.

By carefully employing layers, traditional Japanese design does not attempt to offer solutions

through brute force but creates an understanding and interplay between spaces and functions.

This layering engages the users through action and intended uses. Although this seemingly

tedious process seems to limit the use of the object, taken out of its traditional context, they

resist true categorization and its inherent flexibility can sometimes favor their adaptability to

dynamic events.

Kimono means simply “something to wear” (“ki” wear, “mono” thing) but its name implies the

traditional style of dress. Modern day use often sees the use of yukata and happi at festivals

(especially in the summer months). However, kimono is traditionally seen not as one garment

but a layered set of clothes. The character and quality of these layers not only acted as a state-

ment to the wearer’s societal status, functionally, it was the layers and the air trapped between

them that offered insulation in colder months.

During the Japanese tea ceremony, “chanoyu,” the host’s great effort to help lead the guest to a

truly enjoyable cup of tea is evident in the many small stages that lead up to and lead out of the

act of drinking the tea. Although the act and preparation itself is carefully curated in “chado,”

IIISpacial Layering

ing aspect of entering the realm of the otera of

jinja is not only emphasized through architecture

but is manifested in the act of cleansing oneself

in preparation. There are troughs with water

placed along the path before the actual shrine

or jinja. These are used to cleanse the hand and

mouth. Incense is also often used to purify the

visitor prior to entering.

Although throughout history, the buddhist and

shinto traditions have become inseparably inter-

twined, there a some features that are associated

with buddhist temples. The pagoda generates

layers visually and physically on the vertical

axis. Traditionally the Oshiros of feudal japan

acted as a symbol of the resident’s height within

the government’s heirarchical layers.

In traditional Japanese architecture, the organi-

zation is not controlled by rooms and hallways

feeding into them but the layers of different

spaces. The difference between inside and out-

side are accentuated by movable partitions, roof

overhang, lines along the edge of tatami mats,

elevation changes, gardens, as well as redundan-

cy in the the impermeable barrier of the roof.

Without any waterproofing materials, traditional

Japanese architecture tended to deal with the

weather by redundancy through multiple layers.

This emphasized the importance of waterproof-

ing but separation from the outside world hori-

at an authentic “chashitsu” or Japanese tea house, the guest would have already been through

many layers that help guide the guest from the outside world to the occasion of sharing tea

with another. A garden has many stages to command the guests attention not only physically

but mentally from the outside world. The layers are defined through the use of gates or “mon,”

the path itself, and through the scenery that unfolds itself as one progresses through the garden

to the chashitsu.

The garden has a sequential path through it that separates the visitor from the outside world so

he can focus on the ceremony. This is similar to the hike to Kurama Dera. Outside of modern

urban areas, temples and shrines that remain in their rural environment are often multilayered.

Although there may be one particular main building on a site, the path is marked by many

shrines and torii guiding the visitor through the procession of worlds and kamisama. This path,

not unlike the garden path leading up to the chashitsu, attempts to tell a story that introduces

the visitor to his or her present location.

Within the chashitsu, there is the Tokonoma. The tokonoma is an elevated platform and is

often recessed into the wall. This space is not designed to be occupied by a human but created

so that something may be displayed that can be the center of focus. During a chanoyu, it is

customarily known that only things within the chashitsu can be topics of conversation. This is

to help ensure that every participant is fully engulfed in the experience of the moment at hand

and not distracted by the world left outside.

The genkan in Japanese buildings is functionally known as a space where one takes of their

shoes and enters into the building. However, the space truly acts as a transition into the build-

ing. The interior space of the building is marked by an upward elevation change from the level

where the shoes are left. This moment is emphasized by introducing the visitor to the building.

There is no abrupt change from outside to inside but a steady change in digestible portions.

The shinto tradition in Japan has manifested architectural techniques that are unique to the

nation. In a temple or “otera,” the torii defines the transition from the outside world to the

world of the shrine for the spirit or “kamisama.” The transition is then often emphasized by

a garden or an open space surrounding the building where the shrine is housed. The interest-

zontally is not necessarily as insulating.

Within the buildings themselves, the parti-

tions are often made through a series of

sliding panels. These panels define boundar-

ies that through a series of layered spaces,

separate the interior from the exterior. It is

interesting to note that this boundary is flex-

ible and is in contradistinction to western

styles of architecture that clearly separate the

exterior from the interior through one mas-

sive wall.

This analysis of layers through its multiple

definitions and executions begin to bring

light on the original desire of the Japanese

builders. The Ise Shrine building ceremony

helps to develop the way the Japanese tradi-

tionally see their existence and their impact

on reality as part of a continuous cycle that

renews itself. The Ise Shrine and the ritual to

build occurs simultaneously. As one stands,

the next is being prepared. This shows the

strength in the layers laid by generation after

generation. We are here not only because our

ancestors helped put us here but because our

ancestor’s ancestors helped them.

The flexibility created by the implementa-

tion of layers suggests a continuum of spaces

rather than a distinct boundary. This may

potentially be a successful method to not pre-

vent the next tsunami disaster but to remain

flexible in order to survive the relatively rare

but catastrophic event.