Toyo Ito- The white U , Tokyo, 1976

The Psycology of the architecture:

In my folie design I wanted to slightly desturb and also instill a sense of responsibility in the user. I aimed at creating an atmosphere that acknoledged the past site uses, the abandonment and dereliction of the site. I tried to creat an environment that reflected the psycological reaction to the site history and in a way 'burden' the user with this. I really enjoy this ides of humanising the site in this way and designing to achive psycological reaction will be something I further explore in this next design project.

There has to be a degree onto which you can put this responsibility onto the site and a point at which responsibility is rejected. I will explore this further during the next few weeks.

Toyo Ito, in the White U project has effectivly physically represented a psycological state.

Designed by Ito in 1976, The U-House was built for his older sister, who had just lost her husband to cancer. In 1997 the house was demolished.

The client lived in A high-rise apartment previously. Following her husband's death, the widow asked Ito to build a house for her and her daughters where they could enjoy contact with soil and plants that their former home had lacked. She also felt strongly that all members of the family should have visual contact with one another. In the widow's conversations with the architect, the emphasis on organising functional spaces gradually disappeared and instead turned more towards the symbolic value of the space.

Twenty-one years after being build, the family was ready to re-establish its links with the outside world. The occupants said that they had never thought of whether or not it was comfortable space, although they refers to the house as a coffin. This was reflected by the behaviour of the families many pets, all of whom had totally refused to be alone in the enclosed courtyard.

The last thing we know about the story of the house is that Instead of interpreting its demolition as destruction of a home, the family sees it as a sign of another stage of progression. This building has been repeatedly refered to as a house for mourners.

The story of the white U- came from :

http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com/. viewed 7.4.11

Images can be found at the Ito & Associates website: http://www.toyo-ito.co.jp/ and Architecture blog: http://japanesearchitecture-kururi.blogspot.com/. viewed 7.4.11