AZUMA HOUSE

TADAO ANDO

by

Farah Akmal bt Mohd Zamzuri

Valentine Hew Hui Ling

Kimberly Wong Jin Siew

Patricia Kong Weng Yee

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION

FARAH AKMAL BT MOHD ZAMZURI

0315884

Tadao Ando is a Japanese self-taught architect who was highly regarded for

his unparalleled work with concrete, sensitive treatment of light and strong

engagement with nature which was best exemplified by Azuma House. According to

Tadao Ando, “You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to

absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that

knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see”. On the other

hand, Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, in fact, the greatest architect

American architect of all time, interior designer, writer and educator who designed

more than 1,000 structures, 532 of which were completed. His philosophy is called

organic architecture which promotes the harmony between humanity and its

environment through designed approaches, and this philosophy was best

exemplified by Falling Water (1935) where his famous dictum takes a turn “No house

should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill

and house should live together each the happier for the other”. In architecture,

spatial organization shows how the building related to one another and organized

into coherent patterns of form and space. How the spaces play an important role in

the space? Therefore, this report will covered about the spatial organization

comparison between Tadao Ando’s Azuma House and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling

Water and the three main points that will be covered are the spatial organization,

public and private areas and the entrance approach of the house.

Firstly, Azuma House was built in linear organization manner whereas Falling

Water was built in clustered organization manner. According to Ching (2007), “Linear

organization consist of a series of spaces which can be either directly related to one

another or linked through a separate and distinct space” (p. 206). Tadao Ando uses

basic and simple geometric form in his design and divided the plan into three

partitions with the same ratio and related it to the site context. Azuma House is a

simple, narrow concrete rectangular residence which occupies the entire site,

aligned with other houses in the street. His other house, 4x4 House, is also designed

using the linear organization. Figure 1 and 2 shows that both house are using linear

organization and stand vertically as a tower. By using linear organization, the house

can perfectly adapt to the site requirement and fully utilized the space.

Figure 1 Figure 2

On the other hand, clustered organization relies on physical proximity to

relate its spaces to one another. The spaces in the Falling Water are organized by

the geometric pattern (Ching, 2007, p. 229). The spaces in the floor plan are

clustered but still connecting to each other. Besides, clustered organization can

accommodate within its composition spaces, although it is dissimilar to each other in

term of size, form and function because the pattern does not originate from a rigid,

geometric concept, the cluster is flexible and it can accept growth and change easily.

(Ching, 2007) Figure 3 shows that the house plan is flexible. Friedman House was

an example of his other design while using the same clustered organization. It was

the first three homes built in the Usonian Homes. He built this house based on the

site condition.

Figure 3

Secondly, Azuma House consists of private space and semi public space

which is the family area. The living room, kitchen and the courtyard located on the

ground floor are the family area while the two bedroom on the upper floor are the

private space. The living room located at one end of the ground floor are separated

by the courtyard from the kitchen-dining room and bathroom, located in another end.

The same goes to the top floor where the rooms are separated by the courtyard and

can be reached by a bridge to the children's rooms on one side face the master

bedroom on the other side of the central courtyard. The bridge act as a third,

intermediate space to link the two spaces that are distant from each other, like

spaces linked by a common space.

According to Ando (1984), “In its simple but rich spatial composition, in its

expression of enclosure, and in the way light gives character to daily life spaces, this

house encapsulates an image of my architecture.” (p. 26) In the Azuma House, he

deals with the constraint space by opening up the courtyard to enable the dweller to

look up in the sky and feel the wind blowing, stirring up emotions and purifying the

spirit which allows residents to experience nature without the distractions of the city.

The central section is completely roofless so the residents must carry umbrellas to

move around the house on rainy days. This evoked controversy of convenience to

the inhabitants, but he had explained why it is a burden worth bearing at the same

time. The open courtyard is capable of becoming the most essential part of the

house by introducing the everyday life and assimilating precious stimuli such as

changes in nature and where seasonal changes can be directly experienced and

perceived by the dwellers through the senses. Besides, where he wants people to

easily experience the spirit and the beauty of nature through architecture because he

believes that architecture is responsible for making it happen. “When you look at

Japanese traditional architecture, you have to look at Japanese culture and its

relationship with nature. You can actually live in a harmonious, close contact with

nature - this very unique to Japan.” – Tadao Ando.

On the other hand, the Falling Water was a private family’s weekend home

before it was opened to the public as a museum. The building was constructed in

three levels on a rock on a natural waterfall. The first floor is mainly for public space

where the living room, dining room and kitchen are located then up to the second

and the third floor is for private space. On the second floor, there are two bedroom,

two bathroom and the office of Mr. Kaufmann, as well as three terraces and stairs

that leads to the look out on the third floor. According to Kaufmann, Jr., "He [Wright]

understood that people were creatures of nature, hence an architecture which

conformed to nature would conform to what was basic in people. For example,

although all of Falling Water [sic] is opened by broad bands of windows, people

inside are sheltered as in a deep cave, secure in the sense of the hill behind them."

Last but not least, a frontal approach is used in the Azuma House whereas

spiral approach is used in the Falling Water. A frontal approach leads directly to the

entrance of the building along a straight line, axial path. The visual that terminates

the approach is clear; it may be the entire front façade of a building or an elaborated

entrance within the plane. A spiral path prolongs the sequence of the approach and

emphasizes the three-dimensional form of a building as we move around its

perimeter. The building entrance might be viewed intermittently during the approach

to clarify its position or it may be hidden until the point of arrival. Azuma house is a

concrete rectangular residence aligned with other house in the street. (Ando, 1997,

p.51) The frontal approach and recesses entrance made the façade look completely

shuts off from the street focusing completely on the inside; on its own perfections.

On the other hand, falling water used the spiral path to shows a different view of the

house from different angle. It also used the recesses entrance same as Azuma

House but it gives a different feeling when the entrance at Falling Water blends in

the nature and environment but Azuma House marked a contrast between his

concrete house and the environment.

To conclude, spatial organization, public and private areas and the entrance

approach of the house does play an important role in the space. When everything

mixed together it will form a new space, a new design therefore these elements

plays an important role in the space. As for the architect’s philosophy, we can see

how their philosophy affect their design although they used the same element but

with their own philosophy it create something different. Wright's passion

for Japanese architecture was strongly reflected in the design of Fallingwater,

particularly in the importance of interpenetrating the exterior and interior spaces and

the strong emphasis placed on harmony between man and nature. Tadao Ando once

stated "I think Wright learned the most important aspect of architecture, the

treatment of space, from Japanese architecture. When I visited Fallingwater in

Pennsylvania, I found that same sensibility of space. But there was the additional

sounds of nature that appealed to me.”

APA referencing

1. Architect.architecture.sk,. (2015). Tadao Ando : architect biography. Retrieved 9

June 2015, from http://architect.architecture.sk/tadao-ando-architect/tadao-ando-

architect.php

2. ArchitectureWeek,. (2015). East, north, west, and south prospects (elevation

drawings) of the 4x4 House.. Retrieved from

http://www.architectureweek.com/2011/0727/design_4-2.html

3. Biography.com,. (2015). Frank Lloyd Wright Biography. Retrieved 9 June 2015,

from http://www.biography.com/people/frank-lloyd-wright-9537511#early-life

4. Ching, F. (2007). Architecture, form, space & order (3rd ed.). Canada: John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

5. Fallingwater.org,. (2015). Fallingwater | Fallingwater Drawings and Plans.

Retrieved 9 June 2015, from http://www.fallingwater.org/132/fallingwater-drawings-

and-plans

6. Ivy, R. (2015). Architectural Record | Interviews | Tadao Ando.

Archrecord.construction.com. Retrieved 9 June 2015, from

http://archrecord.construction.com/people/interviews/archives/0205ando.asp

List of references

1. http://archrecord.construction.com/people/interviews/archives/0205ando.asp

2. http://architect.architecture.sk/tadao-ando-architect/tadao-ando-architect.php

3. http://www.biography.com/people/frank-lloyd-wright-9537511#early-life

4. http://www.architectureweek.com/2011/0727/design_4-2.html

5. http://archrecord.construction.com/people/interviews/archives/0205ando.asp

6. http://www.fallingwater.org/132/fallingwater-drawings-and-plans

MATERIALS

BY

VALENTINE HEW HUI LING

(0316236)

AZUMA HOUSE – FALLING WATER

The word architecture has two meanings.

Architecture means the activity of designing and planning the buildings. Secondly the

style and concepts of every building is built for a reason. Some buildings are meant to

be lived in, while others are built for other purposes like for services such as

businesses, schools, hospitals and more. There’s a lot we can learn from if we really

look into the buildings carefully, especially about the people who designed, built or lived

in them, how they were built and design, what they were used for. All architectures

come in all shapes, sizes and materials.

In this essay, two well-known buildings the Azuma house and the Falling water by the

two masters of architects Tadao Ando and Frank Lloyd Wright respectively were chosen

to do a compare and contrast essay. This is so because both architects use certain

similar concepts to drive and create their design. And on the basis of purely visual and

material, they are quite contrast. As Tadao Ando is a self- taught architect , he learnt his

lessons and get inspiration from the western modernisms buildings of Frank Llyod

Wright, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. And on the other hand for wright , to achieve a

greater integration between the building with the nature surrounding it, he adopts the

solution by getting inspiration from Japanese architecture.

Ando’s architecture style accentuating nothingness and unfilled space to show the

beauty of simplicity and uniform. He supports planning complex spatial flow while

keeping up the presence of straightforwardness. Whereby for Frank Lloyd Wright, he

completely grasped glass in his design and observed that it fits into his logic of natural

structural engineering which he always focus on. Glass took into account collaboration

and survey of the outdoors while as yet shielding from the elements.

Azuma house in Sumiyoshi is one of Tadao Ando's most earliest works. It replaces one

of the customary houses in the zone where the structures are constructed in wood.

Fundamentally the thought of this building is to part the house into spaces dedicated to

every day life which makes theoretical spaces which play with the wind and light. The

space intended for this building is noteworthy in its austere simplicity. Azuma house is

clearly a little venture which hits the idea of effortlessness. Essentially Azuma house is

think about as a smaller house situated in a slender space site, with rooms at front and

back joined by outdoors connect through patio.

Falling Water (Kaufmann Residence) is a house that was design by one of the most

famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This house is an extremely unique building that is

assembled more than a waterfall. It is roosted over a mountain waterfall on a rough

slope in the rugged forest of Southwestern Pennsylvania. He planned the house for his

customers, the Kaufmann family. Fallingwater was constructed around 1936 and 1939.

It is an incomparable sample of Wright's idea of natural structural planning, which

promotes harmony between people and nature through configuration which coordinated

with its site. Like how the structures, decorations, and environment turn out to be a

piece of a bound together, interrelated composition.

What is Azuma house so different from the others? Firstly, it is a continuous facade with

no slits, aside from a small skylight. Aside from its internal –facing glass dividers and

negligible wood complete, most of the envelope is cast concrete. With the use of cast

concrete, it affects the heating and cooling of the courtyard. The other thing that makes

this building unique is the courtyard. It becomes an integral part of the house’s

circulation system. It acts as a window accepting light and wind so that nature can seep

in and interact with the interior space. In addition , complex shadows are being formed

due to the occurrence light.

Whereby for Fallingwater, it’s composition is horizontal, although to some degree of

complex. The vertical pivot is characterized by the stack that emerges over the deck.

The building develops from inside outwards and is spreading as indicated by the needs

of its residence. Therefore, it can be amended as in the natural structural planning

building is conceived as a living thing.

Fig.2.0

Fig 2.0 indicates the reinforced concrete used in Azuma House.

Reinforced concrete is the only ornamentation for the Azuma House. This is so that it

sticks with the concept of simplicity and brutality. In addition, reinforced concrete is one

of the most widely used materials in modern building. Likewise, reinforced concrete is

very strong because steel bars are embedded in concrete to form a composite materials

to overcome poor tensile strength.

The materiality of Ando’s works is of incredible significance. Working with smooth-as-

silk concrete, he makes spaces using walls which he defines as the most fundamental

components of architecture, but also the most enriching. His various combinations of

pillar, wall and vault elements constantly prove exhilarating and dynamic. His design

concepts and materials have a crucial role in the artistic taste of his work. The smooth

fondling of the cast in place concrete combining with the thin transparency of glass and

the toughness of steel complete his style from which he paints. He doesn't polish, rather

he utilizes the ruthless magnificence of concrete formwork to composition his structures,

inside and out.

The evenly dived holes in the concrete, which have become almost an Ando trademark,

are the consequence of bolts that hold the covering together. Ando’s concrete is both

structure and surface, never covered or plastered over.

Fig 2.1

Fig 2.1 Shows the vertical window framed in steel

Fig 2.2

Fig 2.2 Stones laid down in horizontal uneven level to show the natural stone laying.

Materials used in falling water are used to reflect the rustic characters of the sites and

they were solid, stone rugosa, local stone, wood , steel and glass. The objective was to

produce a greener space to be striking counterpoint to the hectic urban environment in

which the elements (water, Light, wind) and vegetation blend with human action. Thus

the utilized of nearby stones and timber.

The stones were being laid in a shifting manners to show natural stone laying. On the

other hand, the concrete is being used , it is to used to diminish the harsh edges of the

stones. Not only concrete does that, but it also embellishment into shapes effortlessly in

because of its fluidity. Where by, the material steel acts as the strength to the concrete.

The steel covered the house railings and windows frameworks. Certain parts of the

dividers are secured with solid as well as clear glass to give the inhabitants a wide view

and a decent vibe of nature.

The most basic structure is the cantilever that is covered by the concrete reinforced by

interwoven rods. The cantilevered patios and the local rocks quarried stone walls

resembles the nearby rocks formations are intended to be in the harmony. The one that

acts as the central core is the vertical wall structure which function is to stabilize the

cantilevered trays and most of the part of the building. Whereby the terraces are made

up of beams and joints inside of them with solid structures that resembles an egg crater.

The piers and the buttresses are the one that the very bottom that helps to hold the load

of the entire building.

The sound of how the water permeated the house, particularly in the midst of the spring

and when the snow falls and melts. The configuration joins the broad windows and the

balconies which reach out into their environment. The staircase that is driving down to

the living room to the stream is gotten to through portable flat glass panes. Fallingwater

is designed to incorporate with the nature. The construction of the vertical core and the

structure of cantilever made an astounding illusion for the building. The materials

utilized in this development expressed naturally to the site and above all the waterfall.

It can be summarized that the above comparison for both buildings that Azuma House

is more of a boxy rough house which is more to simplicity where it only uses single

material to build and made up with. Whereas for the fallingwater, it is more of a complex

construction as it was constructed with a numbers of materials which each of them

serve different purposes .

References

Concrete intentions-Tadao Ando. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2015, from http://www.insideoutside.in/inside-outside/issue-magazine/1437/concrete-intentions-tadao-ando

Frank Lloyd Wright - Fallingwater. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2015, from http://usahomeandgarden.com/architecture/fallingwater/fallingwater.html

Futagawa, Y. (1994). Azuma House, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan, 1975-76, Koshino House, Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan 1979-81/1983-84, Kidosaki House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 1982-86: Architect: Tadao Anda. Tokyo: A. D. A. Edita.

Row House | ArchiTravel. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2015, from http://www.architravel.com/architravel/building/row-house-azuma-house/

Tadao Ando: Azuma House, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan, 1975-76 : Koshino House, Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan, 1978-81/1983-84 : Kidosaki House, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 1982-86. (1994). Tokyo, Japan: A.D.A. Edita Tokyo.

Zevi, B., & Kaufmann, E. (1965). La Casa sulla Cascata di F.L. Wright = F. Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater (2a ed.). Milano: Et/as Kompass.

(n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://courses.washington.edu/arch587/3.assignments/2.Style_Analysis/style-andrew.pdf

(n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2015, from http://www.fallingwater.org/assets/12_The_Structure_And_Materials_Of_Fallingwater.pdf

Comparison Essay

Frank Llyod Wright (Falling Water)&

Tadao Ando(Azuma House)

Components

Doors, walls & windows

Kimberly Wong Jin Siew

0315145

There are many features that made up a building that made it different from others that

made their architecture special. The significance of architecture is like which a famous

architect Le Corbusier quoted “Architecture is the magnificent play of forms under light,

the coherent construct of the mind which has nothing to do with decoration. The great

building, the difficult and high-flown works bequeathed by time, but it is also in the

smallest hovel, in an enclosure-wall, in everything sublime or modest which contains

sufficient geometry to establish a mathematical relationship.” Thus we can also be

categories into factors such as spatial organization, external façade, massing, lights and

shadows, circulation in the building, cross ventilation and components.

Architect Tadao Ando uses concrete in his design which is influenced from the great

architect such as Le Corbusier. His work of Rokko Housing in Kobe, Japan which idea

was derived from Le Corbusier’s Roq et Rob terrace housing of 1949. In addition to Le

Corbusier style of architecture he also prefers to refer to architect such as Frank Llyod

Wright. At which they are architects of the modern era, they are compared at times at

which to find their similarities and differences in their style of designs. To the point, one

of the most important factors to the design of the buildings is the components that play a

very significant role to the design. There are always important choices to which to

choose each component wisely that need to be part of the building.

Now we are comparing important elements of the building such as doors, walls and

windows. As these three elements are key factors to provide ventilation as well as

entrance to the building. We are comparing those elements between the design of

Azuma house by Tadao Ando and Falling Water by Frank Llyod Wright.

Firstly, the walls of the Falling Water which are categorize as the spatial organization of

the entire building which as mentioned in McCarter, Robert. On And By Frank Llyod

Wright. Phaidon Press Limited, 2005. Print. They resembles the famous painting

Russian Dance by Theo van Doesburg,1918 and also has associated to the Brick

Country House project of 1923 by Mies van der Rohe. (Hoffmann, Donald, and Frank

Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. New York: Dover Publications, 1993.

Print.) It described one of the walls foundations which extended approximately 15 feet

from the crest of the waterfall and one of the stone foundation walls which are projected

into the stream to withstand the heavy drifting of time of flood. The walls are position in

a way that they come in a massive form to perception of manipulation to arrangements

using the sense of proprioception. In another way to say it, that the bodily position which

helps to spread the volume of a space according to the influence of the environment

which constrains only limited volume to only unfolds which also speaks for the positions

of the walls being build (McCarter, Robert. Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Reaktion

Books, 2006. Print.)

Unlike the walls on Tadao Ando’s Azuma house are four uniformly constructed walls,

this returns to the typical Tadao Ando’s concept of emptiness in the space in order to

standardize heterogeneous to many parts of sizes and complexity of the walls in the

building. Therefore to accommodate uniform composition of walls in the exterior of

which create a rectangular composition the building with significance to the Church of

the Light, Azuma house’s walls are also free standing concrete walls. That also creates

large volume to the inside thus associate to the nothingness to his minimalist design.

(Buckley, Sandra. Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Japanese Culture. London:

Routledge, 2002. Print., Baek, Jin. Nothingness. Abingdon [England]: Routledge, 2009.

Print., Farrelly, Lorraine. Construction + Materiality. Lausanne: AVA Academia, 2009.

Print.)

Next is to describe about the arrangements of the doors in Frank Llyod Wright’s

building. As for the Falling Water design, from the research on the floor plans, noticed

the doors are placed near the stairs or the walkway at which the house have many

pathways leading to the rooms. The doors are placed nearby the stairs where it is

convenient to enter the building without walking a distance. Every door seems to be

closer to each other, either placed next or right in front of each other where it does

made it easier to enter to another side of the room. As also the building has already

many corners, the position of the doors made it easier to find the way to the other side

like shown in figure 1.

Figure 1

As for the Azuma house which accommodate minimalist to its design concept in a small

house with only 3.3 meters wide with limited ornaments to the building and which only

there is just a door as the entrance and four more others that are built into the uniformly

constructed walls that divides the houses into two parts by the center courtyard. The

doors are used to enter the rooms whereby there is an open space above the center

courtyard at which the walkway which is connected to the two bedrooms in the first floor

and the ground floor of the courtyard will accommodate to the environment. The

purpose of Ando’s design is to allow architectural composition of light, natural elements,

materials and form to harmonize with the building design, as that said the doors will the

as a coverage from the natural dealings such as rain to get into the rooms when they

are being closed. Floor plans and elevation showed in Figure 2. (Buckley, Sandra.

Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Japanese Culture. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.)

Figure 2

Lastly are the windows when referred to the floor plans from the Falling Water, the

composition of the windows are distributed to many parts to the main parts of the

building to which some parts are surrounded by glass windows to create an openness

to the interior spaces to bring the practice of equality to both spaces to the inside and

the outside. As also to bring the organic concept firmly to the surrounding mass of the

building the windows invaded to many parts of the floor plans to accommodate the room

to have the same feeling throughout and even composition of individuality for the rooms

to have the experience of having the forest lights and sounds of the moving water to

enhance and respect the environment. Floor plan showed in Figure 3. (Weston,

Richard. Plans, Sections And Elevations: Key Buildings Of The Twentieth Century

Plans, Sections And Elevations Series. Laurence King Publishing, 2004, 2004. Print.,

Hauffe, Thomas. Art And Design: Design: A Concise History. Dundee: SCCC, 1998.

Print.)

Figure 3

The Azuma house, the windows are uniform arrangements of four windows which

create a climax to the composition of to the space, which is quite similar to another

Tadao Ando’s creation like example the Nakanoshima Project where the spaces within

the building is where the gap between the two grids which is accommodated with a

curve shape wall in between them, example of Azuma house floor plan in Figure 4. As

Tadao Ando’s building also includes light to the concept to it, which he blends in from

the important of his Japanese traits and brings it to a modern design the volume created

by the walls which allows spaces in the interior where materials vanishes and light has

become it’s medium where light enters and shows it’s significant quality where it

penetrates through spaces where it allows to enter. The enclosed walls which create

darkness to the interior where light will interplay which also giving its intensity. (Baek,

Jin. Nothingness. Abingdon [England]: Routledge, 2009. Print., Hien, Pham Thanh.

Abstraction And Transcendence. [Parkland, Fla.?]: Dissertation.Com, 1998. Print.)

Figure 4

In conclusion, there are many significant trait marks to every designers which also have

their individual their creative requirement and desire on how they would like to

correspond the building to harmonize to its surrounding. The interplay of natural factors

such as lights, wind, water, heat and the earth which allows the beautiful connection to

the building where it could be more than just a structure that is being build. This

whereby a tribute to the famous building such as example of Falling Water of Frank

Llyod Wright which successfully brought organic architecture to life which not only each

interrelated components, furnishings and the exterior to the building which becomes

unified to the site surroundings to harmonize the two worlds of human habitats into the

natural world. As quoted by Frank Llyod Wright, “I want you to live with the waterfall, not

just to look at it, but for it to become an integral part of your lives.” Tadao Ando’s design

also successfully convince that emptiness to the space doesn’t make it boring when he

gets to allow the interplay with light and shadows to the concrete surface where he can

do so much with so little where the light will do all the confrontation to his design.

Together with so little ornament to the space which allows the focus of the significance

of light and shadow. That brings intensity to the darkness of the space which he

inherited from the Japanese tradition which brings the richness to the darkness. (Hien,

Pham Thanh. Abstraction And Transcendence. [Parkland, Fla.?]: Dissertation.Com,

1998. Print.)

References:

http://openbuildings.com/buildings/azuma-house-profile-41717

http://www.archdaily.com/60022/ad-classics-fallingwater-frank-lloyd-wright/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/452471093784087368/

FACADE

by

Patricia Kong Weng Yee

Architecture is defined as the activity of designing and planning buildings. As quoted

by Julia Morgan, “Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves”.

Tadao Ando has been well known with the use of natural lighting in all of his houses'

designs. His building are designed based on geometrical shapes like square, rectangles,

circles etc. This is in order to not disturb the relation to where 'Shintai' is stimulated in

which the geometrical order creates a frame and a physical limit (Thanh Hien, 1998).

Frank Lloyd Wright, on the other hand, is one of the well known modern architect master.

With his famus dictum which is “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will

never fail you”, he paid attention to most of the details relating to nature and appreciate the

form of nature given to him. Thus, his designs are mostly based on suprematism, whereby

it is defined as an art movement characterized by plain geometric shapes associated with

the idea of sacred act. This can be seen through his other works too. In architecture,

facade is said to be one of the most important elements in a building. The facade plays a

role of setting a tone for the rest of the building. The question is, how does the facade do

that? Therefore, in this case, this paper is going to compare the facades of Tadao Ando's

building, the Azuma House with Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and explain the three

main points. The three main points that this paper is going to talk about is the settings, the

materials and the style of the facade designed by Tadao Ando and Frank Lloyd Wright.

First of all, The Azuma House also known as the Row House in Sumiyoshi is

designed by Tadao Ando. This house is known for its perfectly squared rectangle with its

open courtyard. It was built to replace one of the traditional houses that is made of wood in

the neighbourhood. As it is set in a crammed, urban core of Osaka row – houses, Tadao

Ando designed a simple narrow concrete rectangular residence where it has the tendency

to stand out without breaking the rhythm of the street (Dao, 2015). This is because during

1970s, it is said that the perception of Japanese towns at that time, with a chaotic nature,

was to be judged pessimitically, thus, Azuma House was designed to re-establish the

existence of a well maintained traditional relationship between the Japanese with their

surrounding environment. This can be supported by Alofsin (1999) as he gave Tadao

Ando as an example for his statement about the increasing of contemporary designers

who starts reinforcing traditional qualities into their work. This can be seem especialy in

their formwork. This idea of design can also be seen in some of his other buildings. For

example, his well – known Koshino House, whereby he designed two rectangular prism to

convey the basic nature of the site (Metcalf, 2011). Other examples of houses are the 4x4,

Benesse House and the Kidosaki House. On the other hand, Frank Lloyd Wright's building

called Fallingwater which was built for businessman and philantropist, Edgar J. Kaufmann.

The building, farby has a beautifulliy designed facade as it shows the characteristics of the

inhabitants who are nature loving people. Frank Lloyd Wright's client, Edgar J. Kaufmann

and his wife initially wanted the building with the view of the waterfall, but Frank Lloyd

Wright instead wants them to live with the waterfall and make it as a part of their everyday

life. As he once quoted “No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of

the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other”.

Figure 1 above shows the exterior of the Koshino House which blends into the nature

Secondly, as for the materials of the facade, Tadao Ando designed the Azuma

House with minimal composition of pure concrete to form the front facade as well as to

show the contrast between the building and the neighbours. With an addition to that, his

obsession of having very little ornamental or none at all on his building shows the sense of

cleanliness and weightlessness at the same. The concrete, aside from creating a sense of

peace, it also allows Tadao Ando's building to embrace the changing patterns of light and

wind. This, or so should it be rephrase, Tadao Ando's “poetical adaptation” of concrete

creates a minimalist feel towards his building thus bolstering Mies Van Der Rohe's dictum

of “less is more”. As he once quoted, “If you give people nothingness, they can ponder

what can be achieved from that nothingness” and “I do not believe architecture should

speak too much. It should remain silent and let nature in the guise of sunlight and wind

speak”.

Figure 2 above shows the external facade of the Azuma House to show the sense of

weightlessness and simplicity.

In contrast, due to the influence by the Japanese architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright

designed the building in a way that it would create a balanced between human and nature.

Thus using natural materials to intergrate the building with the waterfall. Frank Lloyd

Wright uses several materials for his building's exterior structure like bricks and stone for

their natural colour. This can be seen in most of his buildings which are the Robie House,

Zimmerman House and Yokodo Guest House (The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, 2015).

Figure 3 above shows one of Frank Lloyd Wright's works : the Robie House

Last but not least, Tadao Ando's style of designing can be said to be simple and it is

able to create an “haiku” effect where “haiku” in Japanese means the combination of

nature and human. By designing a simple raw concrete building with closed facades and

forming three similarly sized spaces around the central courtyard, it sends a clear

message from Tadao Ando to the inhabitants : to ensure a retainence of links between the

inhabitants or people in general with the natural elements. Besides that, the building

facade is also designed in a way that it is a windowless well – ventilated facade. This

ensures a control in temperature and sound as well as water repellent insulation in the

building. In comparison to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright designed the building by using

a masonry facade. He also included several element of the Prairie Style in Fallingwater. It

is said that the Prairie Style was invented by Frank Lloyd Wright himself and it is the first

original American architectural style. The elements of Prairie Style can be seen through

the long low horizontal pattern. Other than that, the Fallingwater has ornamentations which

are the clerestory windows. The clerestory windows consist of a line of narrow windows

which can be seen along the very top of the house (Perez, 2015).

Figure 4 above shows the Prairie style which can be seen along the low and horizontal

pattern of the building.

In conclusion, a facade can set a tone for the building with the materials used, the

site where the building is located and its surrounding and also the architect's way of

designing. Looking at Tadao Ando's Azuma House external facade, it gives people an odd

sensation. Not only does it seem plain which could let their imagination turn wild, it

somehow feels claustrophobic where one would feel confined and isolated from the

outside. As for Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, with the wide varieties of bricks and

stones, the building does seem to blend in with the nature surrounding it, creating a serene

harmony and thus living up to its name in Frank Lloyd Wright's philosophy which is called

the organic architecture. The site of the building matters as it would be the main reason to

design the building and place it there. In Tadao Ando's case, the Azuma House was to

replace one of the traditional house in that neighbourhood and blend in with the

surrounding. Although it does stands out among the traditional houses, it does not really

give the impression of a building designed by a well known architect. Staying in

Fallingwater would be comfortable and peaceful as it is said that the sound of the waterfall

can be heard even from being inside the house. There is a stairs leading towards the

waterfall which one could go down and enjoy it. Although construction wise, eventhough

the house is remarkably placed on the waterfall and not on the solid ground, it requires

constant maintainence as the building has structural problems (Hoffmann, 1993). On the

other hand, Tadao Ando's style of designing is very minimalist as it is plain and simple

which gives a calm look to the building. Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style gives more

volume and structure to the building.

REFERENCE LIST:

1. Alofsin, A. (1999). Frank Lloyd Wright: Europe and Beyond (p. 39). University of

California Press, 1999.

2. Dao, Y. (2015). Zumthor Vs. Ando (p. 26). ISSUU.

3. Hoffmann, D. (1993). Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and Its History

(pp. 39 - 44). Courier Corporation.

4. Metcalf, T. (2011). AD Classics: Koshino House / Tadao Ando. Arch Daily.

Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/161522/ad-classics-koshino-house-tadao-

ando/

5. Perez, A. (2015). AD Classics: Fallingwater House / Frank Lloyd Wright. Arch Daily.

Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/60022/ad-classics-fallingwater-frank-lloyd-

wright/

6. Thanh Hien, P. (1998). Abstraction and Transcendence: Nature, Shintai, and

Geometry in the Architecture of Tadao Ando (p. 132). Universal-Publishers, 1998.

7. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation,. (2015). The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Retrieved 9 June 2015, from http://www.franklloydwright.org/work/index.html