Salvator-John A Liotta
Salvator-John Albert Liotta is a tenured associate professor at ULB-Universitè Libre de Bruxelles, Faculty of Architecture La Cambre-Horta. He is teaching also at Ecole des Ponts-Paris Tech University. Currently, he runs his own office LIOTTA Architecture based in Paris and Italy. He is a long time correspondent of Domus magazine. Previous experiences include co-directing Laps Architecture office (2013-2023) and Very Very Architecture collective experience.
He is affiliated as a researcher at CNRS-LAVUE UMR 7218 in Paris, and he has worked as a researcher at Kengo Kuma Lab at the University of Tokyo. After graduating from the University of Palermo and completing a master’s degree at the National Institute of Architecture in Rome, in 2005 he moved to Japan where he earned a PhD with a study on the urban identity of Tokyo (thanks to a Monbukagakusho scholarship). From 2009 to 2013, he has worked as a researcher at the Graduate School of Engineering, Architecture department of the University of Tokyo. In 2012 he published “Patterns and Layering: Japanese Spatial Culture, Nature, and Architecture” a book about the convergence between parametricism, digital fabrication, and Japanese traditional patterns.
He was runner-up for the Young Architects Program Award organised by MAXXI in Rome and MoMA in New York. In 2013, 2014 and 2015, he was awarded three honourable mentions at the Young Architect Talent Award organised by the National Board of Italian Architects. In 2014 and 2016, his works has been selected and showcased at the Architecture Biennale of Venice and at the Triennale of Milan. In 2015, Laps Architecture, his office, has been awarded the first prize by IN/ARCH ANCE- respectively the National Institute of Architect and the National Association of Constructors. His architectural works have been widely published on international magazines —such as Domus, Abitare, A10, Edilizia e Territorio, Modulo, Le Moniteur, AMC, The Plan among others— and has been exhibited at —among other places— at MoMA in New York, Venice Architecture Biennale, MAXXI Rome, Berlin Art Biennale, and Warsaw Modern Art Museum. Salvator-John A. Liotta is a Monbugakakusho fellow, JSPS fellow and Marie Curie Fellow.
Supervisors: Kengo Kuma, Philippe Bonnin, and Maria Luisa Palumbo
He is affiliated as a researcher at CNRS-LAVUE UMR 7218 in Paris, and he has worked as a researcher at Kengo Kuma Lab at the University of Tokyo. After graduating from the University of Palermo and completing a master’s degree at the National Institute of Architecture in Rome, in 2005 he moved to Japan where he earned a PhD with a study on the urban identity of Tokyo (thanks to a Monbukagakusho scholarship). From 2009 to 2013, he has worked as a researcher at the Graduate School of Engineering, Architecture department of the University of Tokyo. In 2012 he published “Patterns and Layering: Japanese Spatial Culture, Nature, and Architecture” a book about the convergence between parametricism, digital fabrication, and Japanese traditional patterns.
He was runner-up for the Young Architects Program Award organised by MAXXI in Rome and MoMA in New York. In 2013, 2014 and 2015, he was awarded three honourable mentions at the Young Architect Talent Award organised by the National Board of Italian Architects. In 2014 and 2016, his works has been selected and showcased at the Architecture Biennale of Venice and at the Triennale of Milan. In 2015, Laps Architecture, his office, has been awarded the first prize by IN/ARCH ANCE- respectively the National Institute of Architect and the National Association of Constructors. His architectural works have been widely published on international magazines —such as Domus, Abitare, A10, Edilizia e Territorio, Modulo, Le Moniteur, AMC, The Plan among others— and has been exhibited at —among other places— at MoMA in New York, Venice Architecture Biennale, MAXXI Rome, Berlin Art Biennale, and Warsaw Modern Art Museum. Salvator-John A. Liotta is a Monbugakakusho fellow, JSPS fellow and Marie Curie Fellow.
Supervisors: Kengo Kuma, Philippe Bonnin, and Maria Luisa Palumbo
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Books by Salvator-John A Liotta
Critic by Julian Worrall, Professor at Waseda University, Japan
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Julian Worrall, Professor at Waseda University
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Toyo Ito, born in Seoul in 1941, belongs to that generation of architects who, in the 1970s, took a new look at modernity.
imported from the West. He uses the most contemporary techniques to transcribe the elegance, transparency and flexibility of the traditional Japanese houses.
Toyo Ito, who places the relationship with nature at the centre of his reflection,
pleads here for a new architecture, better integrated into the natural and urban environment, more directly in touch with society and truly attentive to the needs of users. This reflection finds a concrete application in the action carried out by Toyo Ito in its architecture. Its reflections are always stimulating and of remarkable sincerity. Toyo Itoalso looks back on his career, revealing his path and the evolution of his architectural design.
His architecture reveals fluidity in its spaces and is stimulating to the senses. In search of more and more lightness, Toyo Ito turns away from the 80's concrete to introduce metal frames associated with translucent walls, perforated sheets, panels, etc. in expanded galvanised steel, or simple canvas. Glass façades appear later, in the 1990s.
Toyo Ito then develops structures without visible beams, combining thin floors and randomly arranged posts. But it is with aluminium that he modifies the general principle of construction of his buildings, by putting structural materials and finishing materials on the same level.
In the work, the deep traumas that his country has experienced lead him to deepen his active reflection on what architecture is and what it should become.
Papers by Salvator-John A Liotta
While the technique has a long history in Europe, it has largely been eclipsed by other building materials. By using local resources, innovative design approaches and additive manufacturing, it is possible to push the boundaries of sustainable building practices for all through an investigation of the use of raw earth for multi-storey architecture. However, the introduction of raw earth construction faces several challenges, including regulations, lack of skilled labor and perception, the adoption of new techniques needs new building regulations, awareness and acceptance for going beyond conventions in construction. In many respects, it is about going beyond the dominance of conventional building practices and norms. It is about reviving a culture that arises from the convergence of nature and technology, fostering a new ecological sensibility.
implementing teaching of concrete experiences in architecture
design courses. In the past years, several universities have
participated in the redefinition of the pedagogy concerning the
education of technical course because they noticed that students
are not usually able to correctly define the best materials and the
structural logic for their projects, and keep it consistent with their
architectural design choices. In, particular this paper recalls and
analyses several hands-on activities performed at the University
of Tokyo and at Université Libre de Bruxelles. Besides design
studios, the study of architecture, materials and structure is often
reinforced thanks to targeted activities such as summer schools
and hands-on workshops. Full-scale constructions constitute
an essential element of research by design of these targeted
activities. Research by design as a mode of inquiry has its own
particular modalities and one of the most effective strategies is
to design and build a small pavilion. Building a pavilion presents
several positive aspects because it can be done at reasonable
costs, it is ideal to test new materials and it can be built by the
students themselves. Learning outcomes are often very positive
because, thanks to these activities, students get a first concrete
experience of making in architectural design. This paper shows
several experiences within academia where architectural design
developed through making have been applied to temporary
projects. A tea house, a pavilion for archeologists, a pop up
school at Farm Cultural Park in Favara and a pavilion for the
exhibition 999 Questions on Contemporary Living held at Milan
Triennale are discussed. Integrating making into architectural
design education is a way to make students more aware and to
develop in them a pleasure for the physicality of making.
FRA- Grâce à une présentation de l’approche conceptuelle et de la pratique professionnelle de quatre architectes japonais dans le cadre de leurs agences implantées en France, nous souhaitons analyser les contextes contemporains de la profession d’architecte dans les deux pays. Quelles sont les raisons qui les incitent à travailler hors du Japon ? Pourquoi le marché français permet-il aux architectes étrangers d’accéder aux concours publics locaux ? Nous proposons un éclairage sur cet échange franco-japonais où, d’une part, ces architectes japonais s’adaptent au contexte de la construction française et, d’autre part, la création architecturale en France élargit son rayonnement international.
The fact that both of partners are practitioners who are also involved in academic teaching and research has created favourable conditions for maintaining a research-based approach in our professional practice. As part of our broad- er strategy to keep our practice connected to research, we started designing and building temporary constructions and exhibition spaces as a research tool.
Established in 2009, LAPS Architecture is a Paris-based office that focuses on both practice and research. LAPS Architecture believes in contributing to creating a high quality architecture for a better society. To date, it has built residential, cultural and educational projects in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Morocco, and Japan.
As our practice grew older, we came to realize that our creations started to become more conventional. The most common reason for this is the idea of “playing it safe” so as not to scare a client or a jury, or in response to building codes. To avoid creating conformist designs and being subject to the norms, the will of clients, or even worse, the dictatorship of a budget, we integrated a recurrent practice of producing ephemeral architecture in the form of pavilions into our strategy, allowing us to experiment freely.
Aim
To improve the versatility of light-transmissive PV panels used for architectural integration into building skins (BIPV).
Study Background
With the kind of PV panels called 'light-through', translucency is achieved by spacing the opaque crystalline solar cells, so that light can penetrate through the resulting gaps. The usual design alternatives offered by the PV industry are mostly restricted to an equal spacing of the cells throughout the grid pattern.
Methodology
Cultural individuality, essential for local and global sustainability, provided the basis for inspiration. The inherent geometric qualities of traditional Japanese family crests are analysed and applied to generate alternative light-transmitting PV patterns.
Conclusion
Without impeding on manufacturability a wide range of innovative design variations are possible. Furthermore, a flexible change in the level of transparency enables the architect to set the visible connection between the interior space and outside of a building into a complex relation, reflecting the local tradition. It is made clear that family crests belonging to Japanese tradition combined with new technologies is not antithetical, they proved to be an ideal source of inspiration for the design of innovative, light-transmissive building surfaces integrated with PV."
Critic by Julian Worrall, Professor at Waseda University, Japan
http://shop.gestalten.com/patterns-layering.html
http://www.domusweb.it/en/reviews/2013/10/11/patterns_and_layering.html
Julian Worrall, Professor at Waseda University
http://shop.gestalten.com/patterns-layering.html
http://www.domusweb.it/en/reviews/2013/10/11/patterns_and_layering.html
Toyo Ito, born in Seoul in 1941, belongs to that generation of architects who, in the 1970s, took a new look at modernity.
imported from the West. He uses the most contemporary techniques to transcribe the elegance, transparency and flexibility of the traditional Japanese houses.
Toyo Ito, who places the relationship with nature at the centre of his reflection,
pleads here for a new architecture, better integrated into the natural and urban environment, more directly in touch with society and truly attentive to the needs of users. This reflection finds a concrete application in the action carried out by Toyo Ito in its architecture. Its reflections are always stimulating and of remarkable sincerity. Toyo Itoalso looks back on his career, revealing his path and the evolution of his architectural design.
His architecture reveals fluidity in its spaces and is stimulating to the senses. In search of more and more lightness, Toyo Ito turns away from the 80's concrete to introduce metal frames associated with translucent walls, perforated sheets, panels, etc. in expanded galvanised steel, or simple canvas. Glass façades appear later, in the 1990s.
Toyo Ito then develops structures without visible beams, combining thin floors and randomly arranged posts. But it is with aluminium that he modifies the general principle of construction of his buildings, by putting structural materials and finishing materials on the same level.
In the work, the deep traumas that his country has experienced lead him to deepen his active reflection on what architecture is and what it should become.
While the technique has a long history in Europe, it has largely been eclipsed by other building materials. By using local resources, innovative design approaches and additive manufacturing, it is possible to push the boundaries of sustainable building practices for all through an investigation of the use of raw earth for multi-storey architecture. However, the introduction of raw earth construction faces several challenges, including regulations, lack of skilled labor and perception, the adoption of new techniques needs new building regulations, awareness and acceptance for going beyond conventions in construction. In many respects, it is about going beyond the dominance of conventional building practices and norms. It is about reviving a culture that arises from the convergence of nature and technology, fostering a new ecological sensibility.
implementing teaching of concrete experiences in architecture
design courses. In the past years, several universities have
participated in the redefinition of the pedagogy concerning the
education of technical course because they noticed that students
are not usually able to correctly define the best materials and the
structural logic for their projects, and keep it consistent with their
architectural design choices. In, particular this paper recalls and
analyses several hands-on activities performed at the University
of Tokyo and at Université Libre de Bruxelles. Besides design
studios, the study of architecture, materials and structure is often
reinforced thanks to targeted activities such as summer schools
and hands-on workshops. Full-scale constructions constitute
an essential element of research by design of these targeted
activities. Research by design as a mode of inquiry has its own
particular modalities and one of the most effective strategies is
to design and build a small pavilion. Building a pavilion presents
several positive aspects because it can be done at reasonable
costs, it is ideal to test new materials and it can be built by the
students themselves. Learning outcomes are often very positive
because, thanks to these activities, students get a first concrete
experience of making in architectural design. This paper shows
several experiences within academia where architectural design
developed through making have been applied to temporary
projects. A tea house, a pavilion for archeologists, a pop up
school at Farm Cultural Park in Favara and a pavilion for the
exhibition 999 Questions on Contemporary Living held at Milan
Triennale are discussed. Integrating making into architectural
design education is a way to make students more aware and to
develop in them a pleasure for the physicality of making.
FRA- Grâce à une présentation de l’approche conceptuelle et de la pratique professionnelle de quatre architectes japonais dans le cadre de leurs agences implantées en France, nous souhaitons analyser les contextes contemporains de la profession d’architecte dans les deux pays. Quelles sont les raisons qui les incitent à travailler hors du Japon ? Pourquoi le marché français permet-il aux architectes étrangers d’accéder aux concours publics locaux ? Nous proposons un éclairage sur cet échange franco-japonais où, d’une part, ces architectes japonais s’adaptent au contexte de la construction française et, d’autre part, la création architecturale en France élargit son rayonnement international.
The fact that both of partners are practitioners who are also involved in academic teaching and research has created favourable conditions for maintaining a research-based approach in our professional practice. As part of our broad- er strategy to keep our practice connected to research, we started designing and building temporary constructions and exhibition spaces as a research tool.
Established in 2009, LAPS Architecture is a Paris-based office that focuses on both practice and research. LAPS Architecture believes in contributing to creating a high quality architecture for a better society. To date, it has built residential, cultural and educational projects in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Morocco, and Japan.
As our practice grew older, we came to realize that our creations started to become more conventional. The most common reason for this is the idea of “playing it safe” so as not to scare a client or a jury, or in response to building codes. To avoid creating conformist designs and being subject to the norms, the will of clients, or even worse, the dictatorship of a budget, we integrated a recurrent practice of producing ephemeral architecture in the form of pavilions into our strategy, allowing us to experiment freely.
Aim
To improve the versatility of light-transmissive PV panels used for architectural integration into building skins (BIPV).
Study Background
With the kind of PV panels called 'light-through', translucency is achieved by spacing the opaque crystalline solar cells, so that light can penetrate through the resulting gaps. The usual design alternatives offered by the PV industry are mostly restricted to an equal spacing of the cells throughout the grid pattern.
Methodology
Cultural individuality, essential for local and global sustainability, provided the basis for inspiration. The inherent geometric qualities of traditional Japanese family crests are analysed and applied to generate alternative light-transmitting PV patterns.
Conclusion
Without impeding on manufacturability a wide range of innovative design variations are possible. Furthermore, a flexible change in the level of transparency enables the architect to set the visible connection between the interior space and outside of a building into a complex relation, reflecting the local tradition. It is made clear that family crests belonging to Japanese tradition combined with new technologies is not antithetical, they proved to be an ideal source of inspiration for the design of innovative, light-transmissive building surfaces integrated with PV."
The requalification began with the purchase and rehabilitation of all those ruins and buildings that were constituting Seven Courts, an important area of Favara's historical center with evident signs of degradation and abandon. Year after year Farm has received and continues receiving artists and professionals of the whole world.
Thanks to the volunteers' help, there have been realized many didactic activities that enrich and promote Farm's educational and social dimension. Besides the School of Architecture for Children (SOU), already launched, Farm wants to start a Museum for Children, where the smallest could come closer to several levels of art, to develop a sensibility that projects them towards a future as adults conscious of the importance of dreaming.
Farm Cultural Park es un centro cultur Bartoli y Florinda Saieva, pareja en la vida y en este proyecto. En los seis años de vida del Parque Cultural Favara se ha convertido en un polo de interés colectivo y turístico, y gracias a Farm se han puesto en marcha mecanismos de crecimiento que llevan a la sociedad de Favara, y no solo a ellos, a un renacimiento urbano y cultural. La recualificación comenzó con la compra y rehabilitación de todas aquellas ruinas Siete Patios, un área importante abandono. Año tras año Farm ha acogido y continúa acogiendo artistas y p Gracias a la ayuda de voluntarios, se han realizado muchas actividades didácticas que enriquecen y potencian la dimensión educativa y social de Farm. Además, marcha, quiere construir un Museo para Niños, donde los más pequeños puedan aproximarse a varios niveles al arte, y así desarrollar una sensibilidad que los proyecte hacia un futuro como adultos conscientes de la importancia de soñar.
whom he has lasting relationships of reciprocal trust. Ando was born a few minutes
before his twin brother in 1941 in Osaka. At age two, the family moved to Kobe,
where he was raised by his grandmother. Back in Osaka, he worked as a boxer
before deciding to become an architect. “When you are self-taught, there is neither
a commencement ceremony nor a graduation party. You continue to study for your
entire life.” This phrase summarises the spirit of discovery that motivated him.
His adventure began in Osaka, when he left to travel around the world for several
months. Back home, he opened an atelier and inaugurated his career by writing
the Guerrilla Manifesto, which he says would not have seen the light of day had he
not been in Paris during the civil unrest of May 1968, where he was impregnated
by the ideas of rebellion that marked an entire generation.
Mind and action are key words in his vocabulary. An athlete and an ascetic, he turned
his sportsman’s mentality into architectural practice; discipline and pertinacity
are his constant training. His personal and professional career has seen him
inexhaustible and determined, leading him to become an architectural warrior.
He tautens space by geometry aimed at evoking light and conceived to go beyond
eternity – an impossible challenge, and for that very reason, one worth pursuing.
On his path he has encountered cultural figures such as François Pinault, Soichiro
Fukutake, Giorgio Armani, Luciano Benetton and Oliviero Toscani, the Langen
family, and Emily and Joseph Pulitzer. He has visited and built in dozens of cities,
curious to discover the architecture and culture of every land. Tadao Ando’s emotional
geography thrives by him giving himself to the world ceaselessly, opening to the
horizon of what is possible.
With this project, dating back to 2009, Kengo Kuma starts a personal reflection on the organic initiated some time ago. According to Kuma, “something organic is different from something that is simply natural or made from natural materials; the organic can be considered such only if it possesses the generative dynamism of living creatures”.
This article describes both the context and the spatial qualities of the Maison LPF in Osaka. A project that serves as a pretext for reflecting on the new period of design initiated by Kengo Kuma: it gravitates around
the organic, understood as continuous becoming, wide open towards the possible.