The event attracted the attention and participation of numerous architects, researchers, lecturers, architecture students, and professionals, demonstrating the growing community interest in wooden architecture, heritage, and the spiritual values in contemporary architecture.
Gaining a better understanding of the properties and role of wood.
Within the framework of the program, Professor, Doctor, architect Shin Takamatsu, one of Japan's leading architects, honorary member of the American Institute of Architects and the German Institute of Architects, shared his design philosophy and practical experience in wooden architecture in Japanese religious buildings. He has won the Grand Prize in the Shichirui Port Multipurpose Dock Design Competition (1985), the Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition Prize (1985), the International Interior Design Award, the highest award from the Japan Institute of Architects (1989), and the Japan Architecture Award for the Kirin Plaza Osaka project... In Vietnam, architect Shin Takamatsu is known for designing the project at the Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area (Tay Ninh).
Architect Shin Takamatsu has decades of research and practice in wood architecture, particularly in religious and spiritual spaces. Through his notable works and projects, he approaches wood as a living material, carrying memories, time, and a profound connection between humans and the natural landscape.
Through two presentations, the special guest guided the audience in a look back at the journey of wooden architecture in the Land of the Rising Sun, analyzing the richness of its application throughout history, clarifying the subtlety in detail and finishing techniques, as well as the philosophies and thinking hidden within each structure. He concluded: The Japanese worldview is shaped by wood. The beauty of Japanese architecture is created from wood and human hands, and he believes that the future of Japanese architecture will be built from wood.
Architect Shin Takamatsu stated: “Architecture exists not only for its practicality, but its true mission is to create a resonant connection with human life and existence, weaving together new values. Therefore, the ‘religious architecture in wood’ that I pursue has always played the most important role in the foundation of my design thinking; from the past, present, and future, I will continue to design architecture with that foundation.”
Through some of his representative works such as the Nose Myoken-san “SEIREI” worship hall, Wood Architecture Project (Kyoto), Dairengu, Henjyoto, and Marumi Sangyo Headquarters, the speaker discussed the process of conceptualizing, organizing the structure, and realizing a wooden architectural work imbued with religious elements.
Based on this experience, he argues that wooden architecture opens up a different approach, where people actively build structures from the values they cultivate, instead of simply exploiting available resources, thereby contributing to the protection of the environment and the planet.
Applications of wood in religious and heritage architecture.
Joining architect Shin Takamatsu in the dialogue is Dr. Le Vinh An, an expert with over 30 years of research on the preservation and restoration of Nguyen Dynasty architectural heritage in Hue. He is currently a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, a visiting professor at Silpakorn University (Thailand), and the author of numerous in-depth research works. He has received the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Innovation of Thua Thien Hue Province (2014), the Award for Excellent Architectural Project Guidance Methodology - Vietnam Association of Architects (2018), and the Golden Pen Award - Architecture Magazine (2023).
Architect Le Vinh An stated: "Most religious and spiritual buildings in East Asia and Southeast Asia are made of wood, evolving from simple to complex, from rustic to sophisticated."
He emphasized that these wooden religious structures are the "multiplication tables" that record civilization, history, and culture, because they have interacted with countless generations of ancestors of each nation. Each piece of wood can be a recording of the thoughts and aspirations of our ancestors through prayers and religious rituals from the earliest times to the present day, and may continue endlessly into the future.
The two speakers focused their discussion on exemplary wooden architectural projects, clarifying design thinking, structural solutions, and traditional techniques in Japanese religious architecture, while also placing these practices in relation to the heritage, carpentry, and construction context in Vietnam.
This affirms the role of wooden architecture as a crossroads between heritage, technology, and contemporary practice, opening up multidimensional spaces for connection and suggesting sustainable, distinctive approaches to Vietnamese architecture.
Through the Q&A session with the audience, wood was further affirmed not only as a building material but also as a vessel for memories, beliefs, and a profound connection between humanity and nature. Through the selection, processing of materials, and spatial organization, wood contributes to the creation of sacred structures – places where architecture, landscape, and spiritual life are intimately intertwined.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/doi-thoai-ve-ung-dung-go-trong-kien-truc-nhat-ban-va-viet-nam-post937635.html
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