Kengo Kuma showed me that a void is never empty, says Maurizio Mucciola
As we all know, architecture is about teamwork, and by working together a team of architects can take care of all aspects of a project. One team member might focus on how users will interact with the building, and another on the quality of details and finishes. Sometimes an individual’s insight can highlight important aspects of a project that had previously been neglected or unnoticed. If that ‘someone’ is your boss, your mentor, and one of the most brilliant architects of our times, and the project in question is one you’ve worked on for many years, that moment of discovering something new can change your entire approach to design. This happened to me when I worked with Kengo Kuma on the V&A Dundee, a project that involved me for nine years, from competition to completion.
As architects we are at the service of our clients and building users and not our egos”
With my partner in work and life, Maria-Chiara Piccinelli, I worked at Kengo Kuma & Associates in Tokyo from 2009 for seven years until we established PiM.studio in London to see the Dundee project through to its opening in 2018. Throughout this time we were lucky enough to work closely with Kuma-san, as he led many international projects, sharing journeys, presentations, and many enjoyable dinners around the world.
Maria-Chiara and I learned many precious lessons from Kuma; from the simple fact that, as architects, we are at the service of our clients and building users and not our egos; to the ability to mix traditional materials and craftmanship with the most advanced technologies; and the premise that each project is unique and its design should be in harmony with the place it sits on.
Roof plan of the Patio House in Geneva by PiM.studio Architects
But there was one single moment that completely changed the way I look at architecture as a whole and the way I think about spatial relationships in my projects. That came during a conversation with Kuma and others about the V&A project, well after the concept design stage when we were already producing construction information.
Kuma said the ‘void’ was, in fact, what originated and gave power to the entire design”
In the competition design, the fundamental feature of the proposal – and this was clear to everyone in the team – was the idea of a promenade intersecting the building at its centre. This would allow the public to walk around and through the building, creating an intimate, beautiful experience and contributing to the creation of a welcoming social space. I have always been proud of this aspect of the design, and I had been very keen in opening a space for people to walk through the building, but I had never thought of this space as a ‘void’.
When in that conversation, Kuma said the ‘void’ was, in fact, what originated and gave power to the entire design, I realised that by seeing the ‘volume’ instead of the ‘void’ I had been coming at it from completely the wrong direction.
Section of the Patio House in Geneva by PiM.studio Architects
This idea, and the term ‘void’ itself, has changed the way I now approach design and how I imagine spatial relations in my current projects: by starting with a ‘void’.
The Patio House, which we have designed for a client in Geneva, is entirely conceived around an open patio/garden, a ‘void’ that is visible from each space of the house, and this is fundamental to the spatial quality of the project. Now we start every project by considering a ‘void’ as a generator for the design – a void that is never empty.
