From Tradition to Innovation: Recontextualising Japanese vernacular architecture through biophilic design

Abstract

In contemporary architectural discourse, sustainability has become one of the deciding factors in shaping the architecture of the future. One important yet often overlooked aspect of both ecological and social sustainability is engaging people with their surrounding nature. In order to inspire more substantial sustainable solutions the relationship between humans and nature needs to be nurtured, and its importance highlighted. By creating a strong mutual relationship, both the responsibility for, and responsiveness to nature becomes prioritized. Researching how this relationship can be enhanced through our built environment led to the creation of biophilic design, attempting to create tangible frameworks for implementing nature into architecture. However, biophilic design remains vague, and mainly looks forwards in trying to find new innovation. This thesis argues that looking backwards at vernacular examples could lead to new innovations, enhancing the already existing biophilic design framework by researching how such architecture could inspire new solutions. The purpose of this thesis is thus to evaluate vernacular architecture through the lens of biophilic design in order to gauge its relevance for future architecture. This thesis evaluates one particular vernacular context - the traditional architecture of Japan - by asking the question if Japanese vernacular architecture could be used as a creative asset for innovating upon, and enriching contemporary biophilic architectural design. By first presenting the relevance of biophilic design theory, and applying this on Japanese case studies, many aspects of the Japanese vernacular were evaluated in pursuit of design strategies that offer new ways for architecture to interact with its environment in a meaningful way. This culminated in a new qualitative framework of architectural concepts, suggesting new methods for utilizing lessons from the vernacular in biophilic architecture, along with a design project that explored the connection between the Japanese architecture and its apparent biophilic tendencies, and how this relationship could lead to innovation in a contemporary setting.