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"Between" gate

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　　Located along a gently sloping street leading to a national park, the 70-year-old gate was blown down by a large typhoon that hit Osaka in September 2018, and part of the wall was cracked and tiles fell off. The owner decided to repair the existing gate and walls. The owner realized the richness of the connection between the garden and the street when the existing closed wooden gate was blown down, and he wanted an open gate that would allow him to see the garden from the street. The client wanted an open gate that would allow him to see the garden from the street. Observation of the area around the site revealed that many gates of similar age remained. By re-constructing the roof, the context with the surrounding area was restored, and we began designing a gate that would create a rich relationship from the street into the site.

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　　A gate is a way to go back and forth between two separate places, "here" and "there. When the gate is open, it connects "here" and "there," but on a daily basis, like a fence, it exists firmly as a boundary line between closed sites. However, if it is considered as a line, it can only divide or connect, and it would be difficult for it to become a gate for creating rich relationships. Can we not aim for a new autonomous existence that is both and neither? For example, if we expand its boundaries, it will become a surface from a line. A surface has content, and the strength of the boundary line is created by its density. Conversely, if the density disappears, the strength of the line as a line would weaken, even though it exists as a surface. In this way, by expanding and removing the contents of things that exist at the boundary between "here" and "there," and by considering the existence of "between" which is not a thing that divides, but a surface that exists with its own contents, we can understand how the boundary between "here" and "there" exists. I would like to think about the things that trigger the creation of various relationships.

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The gate as a "between"

　　First, we aimed to make the gate as transparent as possible, so that the garden can be seen from the street by swinging it 45 degrees from the front. If the transparency of the gate is too high, the gate will not exist as an "between" so I closed it from the direction 45 degrees from the front and closed it from the direction 45 degrees from the back. I decided to create a surface that is ゙different゙ from the front. By having these two different surfaces, the gate is no longer just a boundary, but rather a transparent and closed surface with two different characteristics. In addition to its frontality as a gate, the gate has a total of three frontal faces, each swiveling 45 degrees in different directions, which give the walker a variety of expressions as if he or she were watching a movie. The height of the gate is set at waist height, so that people can step over the gate and have a conversation with each other. The motif of the circle and horizontal line is a reference to the surrounding stone walls, and I hope to create a continuous landscape with the surrounding walls.

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Roof as a "between"

　　The roof is the boundary line that separates the relationship between the ground and the sky. By blocking rain and sunlight, it creates a place for people and things. Similarly, the roof over the gate opens and closes the gate without getting wet from the rain, and creates a place for conversation with visitors. The vaulted ceiling is 2,500mm high, and the vaulted ceiling creates a sense of floating, which is almost out of reach, and the curving ceiling softly covers the space, creating a closed relationship with the sky. The ceiling is closed in relation to the sky. When viewed from the street, the ceiling is at a height that does not obstruct the trees in the garden and does not cover the sky, and the ceiling surface reflects the reflected greenery of the garden. The ceiling surface changes with the angle of view and blends into the landscape as a transparent roof. The roof is covered with wood shingles. Although the steel structure makes the roof look light, it creates an impression of ruggedness and hardness when you look around. By including these three different characteristics of closing, reflecting, and harmonizing in the boundary surface of the roof, the roof is not only a dividing element, but also an "between" that can be used as a space between the two buildings. The roof is not only a dividing element, but also an autonomous object, and it has been landed on the spot.

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　　We have been working to fill the empty "between" with various characters to make it an autonomous and independent gate. And although it is located at the boundary of the site, it not only divides but also creates various expressions and creates an opportunity to build relationships. If the residents change, the house will change, and if disaster strikes, the landscape will change as well. Can the gate as "between" serve as a receptacle for this place with the strength and softness to welcome and adapt to these changes? "between" strengthens its own existence by connecting the two and creating a good relationship between them. The existence of both parties makes "between" possible, and without "between" the relationship between the two would collapse. The relationship in which each party proactively respects the other is considered essential in today's society. If various matters are connected to directly, which causes friction, it is necessary to create a smooth and gentle "between" in order to touch each other smoothly and gently. If too many things are connected to directly, which causes friction, then we should create an "between" to touch each other smoothly and gently. It is not just about connecting or dividing, but about seeking and respecting more concrete relationships with each other. We would like to seek to create a place where we can.

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「あいだ」の門

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　　場所は国定公園へ続くなだらかな斜面の通り沿いに位置している。2018年9月大阪を直 撃した大型台風によって、約築70年の門は吹き飛ばされ、塀の一部にはヒビが入り瓦が落ちるという被害から、新たな門と塀の補修を施すこととなった。建主は既存の木造による閉鎖的な門が飛ばされたことによって庭と通りの繋がりの豊かさに気づき、通りから庭が見える開放的な門を望んでいた。また敷地の周辺を観察してみると、近い築年数の門が多く残されていることがわかった。 屋根を再度作ることで切れてしまった周辺とのコンテクストを取り戻し、通りから敷地内へ豊かな関係性を生み出すような門を目指して設計を始めることとなった。

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　　門というのは「こちら」と「あちら」に分けられた場所を行き来するためのものである。 開けられた際においては「こちら」と「あちら」を繋げるものであるが、日常的には塀と同様閉じられた敷地の境界線として強固に存在している。しかし、線として捉えてしまうと、分けるか、繋げるかのどちらしか成立せず、豊かな関係性を作り出すための門になることは難しいだろう。どちらでもあり、どちらでもない新たな自律的な存在を目指すことはできないだろうか。例えば、その境界線を拡大していくと線から面になる。面には中身が存在しており、その密度によって境界線の強度が生まれてくる。逆に、密度がなくなれば面として存在しながらも線としての強度は弱くなるだろう。このように、「こちら」と 「あちら」の境界に存在するものの中身を広げ取り除き、分けるモノではなく、中身の存在する面のような「あいだ」の存在について考えてみることで様々な関係性を生み出すきっかけとなるようなものについて考えてみたい。

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 「あいだ」としての門扉

　　まず、通りから庭眺めることができるように正面から45度振った見え方を可能な限り透明な状態を目指した。門扉の透明度が上がりすぎてしまうと、「あいだ」としての存在は無くなってしまうので、正面から逆に45度振った方向からは閉じられた面を作ることにした。この異なった2つの面を持つことにより、門扉はただの境界線ではなくなり、2つの性格を中身に持つ透明性と閉鎖性を持つ面のような存在になる。また、門としての正面性にくわえ、各方向に45度振った計3つの正面性を作ることで、通りを歩く人には映像のように移り変わり様々な表情を見せる。門扉の高さは腰の高さまでにし、門扉を跨いで会話ができるようにしている。ちなみに、円と水平ラインのモチーフは、周辺にある石垣をレファレンスとしていて、周囲の塀との連続的な風景を生み出せたらと思っている。

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 「あいだ」としての屋根

　　屋根は、地面と空の関係を分ける境界線である。雨や日射を遮りることで人やものの居場所をつくる。門扉の上にある屋根も同様に、雨に濡れずに門扉を開け閉めするものであり、訪れた人と会話をする居場所を作り出す。天井高は2500mmとし、ボールト型の天井は手が届きそうで届かない高さによる浮遊感とアールの天井によってふわりと覆いこみ、空との関係においては閉じたものとなる。通りから見ると、庭の木々を邪魔せず空にも被らない高さにあり、天井面は反射した庭の緑を写し込む。見る角度によって天井面は移り変わり透明性を帯びた屋根として風景に溶け込む。屋根は木板葺きとしている。鉄骨造によって、屋根の存在は軽やかに存在しているが、周囲を見渡してみるとやはり無骨な硬い印象を生み出してしまうので、屋根面は木板を下見板貼りとし、山々の景色と周囲の古い建物との距離を埋めることした。そうした、閉じる、反射する、調和する異なった3つの性格を屋根という境界面に含ませることで、分けるためだけではない「あいだ」としての屋根を自立的なモノとしてその場に着地させていった。

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　　空虚な「あいだ」に様々な性格を詰め込み、自立的で主体的な門となるよう取り組んできた。そして、敷地の境界にありながら、分けるだけではなく様々な表情を生み出し、関係性を構築するきっかけを作る。住民が変われば家も変わるだろうし、災害が来れば風景も 変わるだろう。「あいだ」としての門はそれらを迎え入れ、順応する強さと柔らかさを持つモノとしてこの場所の受け皿となりえるだろうか。 「あいだ」は両者の繋ぎ合わせ良い関係性を作るとことによって自らの存在を強めていく。両者があることで「あいだ」を成り立たせ、「あいだ」がないことには両者の関係は崩れてしまうだろう。それぞれが主体的にリスペクトし合う関係は、現代の社会においても欠かせないものだと思われる。色々な事柄がダイレクトに繋がりすぎて摩擦が起きるのであれば、滑らかにやさしく触れ合うための「あいだ」を作れば良いのだ。繋ぐだけでもなく、分けることだけでもない、より具体的な関係性を個々に求めて尊重していくことができる場所作りを求めていきたい。

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