Trinity Benedictine Monastery

Fujimi (Nagano) Japan

Timeless Architecture (Part Two)

by Kenjiro Takagaki

 

Responding to Timelessness

Aiming at a timeless architecture and using Breuer's message as a basis, I set about planning the details stage of the monastery. I needed to combine in a harmonious manner changing elements with unchanging, composition of the spaces, selection of materials, and the many details involved in all these.

I selected brick facing for the outer walls not only because it would enable exterior insulation but also because that material improves with the passing of the years. Looking for a red, toned down to a quiet tint, combined with a natural texture, from several possibilities I chose an import from England. As for the roof, at first, for budget reasons I chose artificial tile, but then acceded to the request to use the more weather resistant natural slate, and was able for a reasonable price to get a hold of a supply of panel-form slate sleeping in one manufacturer's storeroom.

One can easily grasp the unchanging character of these materials already from the entrance. The long brick wall, while on the one hand it serves the function of marking the boundary separating the monastery's inside from the outside, at the same time was held to such a height that the roofs are visible over the walls, serving to give a warm welcome to visitors.

I got a hint for this wall from the brick wall at Saint John's Abbey, a symbol of times changing from former times when monasteries were severely enclosed. When one passes through the wall one comes into a light-filled corridor and is led to the chapel, to the monastery meeting room and to the other buildings. In the ceilings of the corridors of the various buildings, which cast variegated shadows, are tunnel-shape passages filled with fan coils, pipework, electric cables. I arranged these so that the monks can easily climb up and not only take care of ordinary maintenance, but also easily change machines, or pipes, add equipment. With this tunnel I was able to muffle the sounds of noise-making machines. This has contributed to the effort to prevent noise in an otherwise almost zero noise environment.

As for the switches and electrical outlet boxes, I deliberately did not sink them into the concrete, but installed them in the door frames and in the wooden panels outside the concrete walls. In that way not only could I avoid making openings in the walls, but could allow for changes in size and other changes needed. I feel that since equipment often needs to be changed, and in any case, compared with the basic wall structure has a much shorter life cycle, this needs to be considered.

These are a small portion of the things we wrestled with, they reflect the timelessness of a monastery, or in other words, they are efforts and a challenge which call for a building with a limitless future. Assuming that this architecture will maintain its existence over the centuries, that is to be attributed to the dreams of the monastics who relentlessly, patiently continued their discussions, and to the zeal of my partners, from the those who made the working plans to the supervisory staff, who permitted not the smallest compromise, and to the crystal gift of the sweat of those who put the plans into execution and the workers. I have been made aware of this basic principle that in every age, the architecture is accomplished by the heart of people.

The monastic life of the new community at Fujimi began in June. The clear rays of sun shine gently through the Japanese larch trees. While we do not took for things on the scale of the forests and lakes of Minnesota, our long-time prayers for a life of prayer and work in a rural environment have now been answered. At the beginning of this new millenium we can say that the new thousand years have only just begun for this Benedictine monastery.

-- Translated by Fr. Aloysius Michels OSB (1913-2002)
Orig: Japan Architect 12 (1999)

Timeless Architecture: Part One
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