Repairing the Architecturally Broken

Abstract

The Japanese word ‘nin-gen’ represents the meaning of ‘human’ directly translating to ‘among men’ which suggests that a human is not understood as a singular entity but as part of a whole. One that rejects communal life is equivalent to turning into a ghost. For one to feel whole as a human, they must be part of a greater body of others. This understanding and desire of true wholeness as a being is embedded within Japanese philosophies and concepts. This contrasts with Modern Western philosophies which focus on the individual fragments rather than the whole, causing further fractures and cracks. Within the context of architecture and urban design in the mid 20th century, the modern movement disrupted the harmony of the urban environment much as an earthquake shatters the ground. Traditionally, the urban environment was understood to have served the purpose of acting as a stage for the display of social life and interaction. However, the priority of cars over pedestrian life, the desire for novel and isolating buildings over tradition and harmony, the focus of standardised and massproduced design over site-specific design, and the devaluation of public communal life has resulted in the current broken urban environment and public communal life. This thesis aims to interrogate the Japanese definition of connectedness and how this can inform the mending of the urban and social realm. This thesis challenges the modern urban planning and design ideologies and endeavours to establish an alternative and balanced approach to urban and architectural design, drawing knowledge from the traditional Japanese art of Kintsugi, the repair of broken ceramics. It seeks to demonstrate urban regeneration and intensification that incorporates and mends the existing broken fragments of the environment within the design rather than clearing away the broken pieces for something new, a more typical, modern approach towards the broken environment as well as broken objects. The investigation of kintsugi as a way of repairing broken ceramics is analysed in conjunction with the transformative repair of Newmarket’s broken urban fabric, aiming to achieve wholeness in the urban and social realm.