A project based on equidistance.

A project based on equidistance.

In Toyota City, along the canal that runs along the boundaries of the site, beyond the cherry blossom, we visited the soft volume with scales of natural aluminum that removes us from reality and connects us to our infantile fantasies.  The scales resemble those of an enormous fish, a whale for example, even though this mammal is constantly under threat in Japan. The appearance of the surface mutates when their angulation changes with respect to the rays of the sun. The vertical scales appear dark at first but looking upwards towards the top, the color pales to become a pure reflection of light.

As a result, the body of the large fish is split into thousands of shimmering fragments which terminate on the reflections of the glass modules, half of the surface that surrounds the building. The oblique cut splits the surface of the polyhedron consisting of triangular units, giving rise to two opposing sensations. In one of the segments of the surface, the reflecting scales predominate, in the other the predominating feature is the grid of the aluminum frame enclosed by the glass segments. Nevertheless the clean cut does not interrupt the unity of the volume which appears to have been embellished by the different treatment given to the volume along the fracture line. The use of the polyhedral structure with its triangular modules returns us to the magical geodesic globes that
Buckminster Fuller designed in the mid-Fifties in the USA.

The joy of diving into a swimming-pool corresponds beautifully with the building we are observing. And of course, bathing is an essential part of Japanese culture. The first island of Japan was born from a drop of water that fell into the sea from a cloud, from Izanagi’s alabarda spear. When Izanagi washed his face in the sea, he gave life to a large number of divinities including the God of Fire and the God of the Tempests. These legends lead us to the myth and the magic associated with the world of water in the extensive Japanese archipelago. The use of a shape that appears to have no connection with the ‘orthodox’ syntax of the constructions, irrespective of whether they have a modern or a traditional design, underlines the importance of the construction’s cultural driver. The pathos perceived when we observe the sports facility from the outside persists when we enter the building. Light would appear to be the main fulcrum of design. From the spherical segment, large quantities of light penetrate inside the large hall that contains the water features. Filtered by the triangular modules, light hits the white ceramic flooring and the surface of the water in the swimming-pool, forming a web-like effect of slim shadows that change their appearance depending on the nature of the incident surface. In the reflections on the water, it appears to be casual and fragile, decomposed, barely deformed in the small lapping movements of the liquid surface to disappear totally in the moments when a greater number of people are there.

The people who walk along the edge of the swimming-pool are decorated with strange virtual tattoos which appear and disappear as they move. The light heats the wooden flooring around the small hot tubs and reflects on the ceramic surfaces to flood the ambience with brightness and create an atmosphere dominated by soft, gentle, relaxing shadows. However, the shadows are never transformed into total darkness as they are always mixed with light. On sunny days, the light incident on the surface of the swimming-pool closely resembles the daylight outside. The gyms also indirectly enjoy large amounts of light; they face towards the swimming-pools from the mezzanine floor above the changing rooms and light enters through a large window that reaches the flattened roof of the building.

With few exceptions, white covers every wall of the rooms inside, each piece of furniture, every light fitting. Light therefore penetrates through the glass modules in the roof deep into the rooms that do not enjoy direct sunlight. At this point, we can perceive another element typical of the culture of the project.  Myth and technology are united to give life to a comfortable, technologically-evolved ambience. But let’s return to the porch we passed through on our way to the entrance. It’s roof consists of special solar panels, which are still not available in Italy. It is a special glass sandwich with an intermediate layer of silicate. This layer absorbs the energy of the sun and also provides shade for the pathway below. Light, the sun, the use of white as a carrier of luminosity and the technology of solar power are combined and interpret the evident strategy of energy saving.

Poetry of shape, local culture, technology blend into a discrete ensemble that seems once again to bear witness to a civilization that expresses a large number of intrinsic features. This is a society that expresses its creations by focusing on complex management as a driver of widespread quality. I look at the wall in reinforced concrete with aluminum shutters that are positioned on my left.
It is a technological miracle that protects me from both the rain and the sun and nourishes life inside the swimming-pool. The sensual volume progressively approaches me as I reach the glass entrance. There are a few other signs of a minimalist intervention, uninterested in the shouting, the sound of a trumpet, but which do not eliminate any of the aspects that create real usability comfort.