What is Minimalism?
Minimalism – to me is another tool which encompasses the KIASMA philosophy. It could be in terms if form or construction techniques. Ultimately the goal is to tackle complex urban challenges in the easiest possible way. But little did we know that even the ancient regionalistic buildings are capable of facing the modern man made chaos with its simplistic structural construction – the greatest example being – PAGODAS.
They are strange piece of regionalistic architecture which gives you a reflection of withstanding the odds in the KIASMA way. These “ancient high rise” are three to five storey pagodas initially built in India to enshrine remains of Buddha. This structure has to its credit of surviving the many serious earthquakes which have occurred time and again in Japan.
The secrets behind its construction are layered and dependent of each other. Every structural part of pagoda is made of wood – which when subjected to force may bend and wrap but will not break easily hence making it a flexible material which is capable of absorbing seismic forces. The second layer is the fastening of timber, not with nails but by inserting carved thinner and narrower ends of timber into slots.