Naoshima Island in Japan - Case Study Example

Naoshima Island in Japan Naoshima Island is located in Japan, and is largely known to have more contemporary art spaces compared to numerous other places that are located within the country. The island has existed for several decades harboring the fishing community, but the place picked up a new purpose by turning out to be a great home for an impressive collection of contemporary art and architecture after the mutual agreement that was made in 1985 between the mayor of the town and Benesse Corporation which had the main purpose of turning the place into an art hub1 The project presents an interesting case due to its initiation stages and a number of challenges that it has gone through to the current level where it is not only the art, but also the great spots that are located at different places in the island which acts as the attractive features. The Naoshima project presents a case that is comparable to other projects which have been carried out in the recent past. The comparable project, in this case, is the architectural design practice that I have set up with my fellow Cambridge post-graduate, and the practice has received potential clients since its initiation and has closed down on a number of deals most of which have given the practice a stable workload and are similar to the Naoshima island project. The project that has been carried out by the practice is similar to the Naoshima project because they both have features that have made them notable and identified within the historical timeline. The identifiable elements between the two projects includes their similar method of construction and building materials, and other elements such as the form that has been adopted in the construction process. The style that has been adopted in the architectural designs being carried out can be described as post-modern. The architectural designs have included changes being carried out gradually as a way of allowing architects to adapt to the new ideas, and these styles have on several occasions been a rebellion of the styles that had existed before. The case of Naoshima Island involved a proposal that was made which entailed an agreement being reached to allow modern architectural practices to be applied and turn the island into an attractive site for tourism due to the establishment of the many contemporary museums2. The changes had the sleepy fishing community being turned into a home of impressive art collection that turned the place into an attractive site for touring. The analysis of the Naoshima Island compares to the project that has been carried out by the new practice which entails an architecture that has adopted an impressive and wide collection of contemporary art from the grounds that had initially been left with their traditional models. The new project entailed turning of an old building structure that was located within the town area into an attractive site with the modern infrastructure such as eateries and the contemporary art that would have more people visiting the place. The project provided a workload that has been accomplished in less than 5 years; hence, is a representation of the post-modern architecture that can directly compare to the Naoshima Island project. SUBMISSIONS Part 1 A lot of care should be undertaken for the new practice because it has to establish a reputation for purposes of obtaining the future work. The first year of business will entail a number of specific activities that will guide the company in working for their projects and the way to attain a good reputation in the market. The practice will be involved in the post-modern architectural work which will involve turning of the modern sites or structures into attaining attractive and modern features. The project will therefore target clients who will be looking to carry out the renovation of the old structures with an interest in contemporary architecture that will focus on the attractive art pieces that will be able to attract more people into visiting or making use of those structures. The practice will also target to handle any levels of architectural projects that will be attained from the clients since the experience that we as partners have attained in the last couple of years has enabled us to gain the practical skills that we can apply into delivering on them. The numerous networking has also enabled us to know the areas that we can outsource the necessary resources and expertise that we can apply into delivering on the required tasks for the levels of the projects that we will handle within the first and subsequent years of the new partnership. The main marketing strategy that will be undertaken will be the visits and meetings that we will be organizing with the owners of the structures that we will have identified to require the modern architecture. The meetings that we will make will entail the analysis of the existing structures, and then designing the architectural forms that can be applied on them as a way of using the creative ideas to have the owners of the buildings accept to have architecture carried out on them (Edison 39). The other marketing strategy will entail the adoption of Information Technology such that we will set up a website accessible to potential clients for use in having them access the necessary details and services that are provided by the project. The company will also set up an office in an accessible area within the town so as to enable the potential clients to be able to visit and attain any support services from the company. The offices will be leased for the period of five years so as to provide enough time for identifying with new clients, along with attaining the referrals of the other potential clients who would want their projects handled. The funding of the practice will majorly be based on the loans that will be obtained from a number of potential financial services within the location of the practice. The large architectural practices will require large amounts of money to be used within the process; hence, the banks and other financial services will be a necessity for undertaking such projects. The large projects will also have the clients to the projects releasing a certain percentage of the agreed amount as the down payment for having their projects undertaken. However, the small projects will be carried out using the savings that we have attained in the past years of functioning in the architectural firms. The small projects will imply that there would be little financial strain on different aspects that will be required to undertake them, and also attaining of the projects will take a shorter time therefore bringing in the returns that will be used for larger projects. The financing process will be carried out to the point when the company will be able to sustain itself on the different projects that they will be undertaking. The fee that will be charged on the specific projects will cover the cost of all the expenses involved plus the profit that will be expected in that particular project. The workload involved in the projects that will be undertaken will be split within the partners. This will imply that each of the projects will have to be analyzed first to determine the workload involved, and then an equal measure of the activities involved will be equally split into two. The split of the workload will also have the different areas of specialty being assigned to the partner who will have the necessary experience in dealing with such areas as this will improve on the creativity and productivity that will be attained through the architectural process. The chores will also be split in line with the timelines that will have been set aside which will be meant to complete the project. The given timelines will also dictate whether more staff will be employed to carry out the activities that will be required in accomplishing the target of the architectural work. The initial stage will have as little as two members of staff who will help in the management of the projects and the administration of other important details, but with time there will be more staff being recruited basing on their experience as a way of accomplishing the tasks easily and on time. The projects being carried out will maintain traditional partnership as this will entail sharing of the involved activities and other benefits together. The project will maintain the partnership because it is based on a combination of talent and resources which are important entities for successful project implementation. The partnership aims at expanding more with the use of the synergized skills into attaining more success for the projects that will be undertaken. The partnership is meant to last in a longer period of time; hence, any conflicts that will occur with the fellow partner regarding the management of the practice will be dealt with in a procedural way. The partnership will, therefore, have a guiding model that will be meant to solve any forms of disagreements that might be met in the process and have a procedural way that will be used to solve such problems. Part 2 The successful operation of the company for the past 18 months has lead to the attainment of marks that had been established for the practice, and therefore there is need to have more staff and office manager to enable the new projects to be carried out successfully. Due to the rarity of the partners in the office, a project handbook is important for guiding the staff on the set up and running of the project in the cases where the partners are away from providing such guidance. The work stages in this case will be in line with the RIBA 2013 work stages which involve the strategic definition which the staff will be needed to identify the business case of the clients along with the other major requirements. This will be followed by the preparation and brief that will have the objectives of the project being developed to include aspects of quality, outcomes, aspirations and budgetary parameters. The concept design will follow, and it entails outlining of the proposal to include the design of the structure and service systems. The developed design is then prepared to include the updated proposals for the design and service systems with specifications being outlined in line with the involved cost and strategy that will be followed in the process. The RIBA 2013 will then have the technical design being carried out, and this is prepared in line with the design responsibility matrix and strategies that will include all the structure and building services information. The construction will then be carried out following the designated program that has been put in place for the particular project, and once the construction is completed, the handover and close out of the building is carried out with the conclusion being made on the building contract. The review of all the stages will then have the use of the building being undertaken with the structure services being put in place. The architects working on the projects will need to be competent enough so as to enable them communicate with the clients and team members who will be working on the new projects being undertaken. The professionals will have to be competent enough so that they elaborate on different details concerning the project and be able to make it clear to the clients on the aspects that will be involved in the architectural processes being carried out. The architects along with the team members will also have to learn the good aspects of professional conduct as a way of establishing reputation for the organization that will enable it to pick on more opportunities and be able to set grounds which will enable them have more architectural opportunities that will be made available. The procedure for recording communication is also an aspect that will be set up in the organization to enable the architectural professionals and staffs to maintain high levels of standards that will help boost the reputation of the company and help in attaining more growth opportunities. A given requirement will therefore be set up for the partnership that will provide the required guidance in the way communication is carried out, and to highlight different actions that will be undertaken once the codes of conduct have been broken by members of the team. The project being carried out will also have a well defined internal process that will be used for making a planning application and building of the control approvals. The internal process will involve aspects that will include the establishing of the program which will be followed by the construction that will entail the adopted design and other requisites for building the structure. Different stages will be well defined and put in place through the internal process as a way of guiding the architects on attaining the needs and other requirements for the structure being attained. The competency of the architects who will be involved in the projects will also be involved in the internal process that will give guidance and provide a means of checking up whether the procedures being carried out are in line with the requisites of the architectural professional bodies. The architects will have to know their role regarding the new Construction Design and Management (CDM), and this entails the specification of the fact that the principal designer will be responsible for coordinating the activities involved in the construction project, and therefore the architect in this case or the lead designer is responsible for heading the project (Ian 141). The CDM also specifies on the core technical standards that have been set out, and they involve the roles of the designer in advising the client and taking account of the information that will help to control or reduce the involved risks for the project. The other specifications in the CDM involves the health and safety matters that have to be maintained for the project, and this is the principal role of the contractor who will supervise all the roles that will be undertaken from the site of the construction. Proper documentation is also necessary through the construction process as it will help to give reference and guidance on the future and similar projects that will be undertaken, along with providing information when correctional matters arise concerning the building (Khan 84). The criminal and civil liabilities have also been specified and imposed on the architects as a way of guiding them towards their conduct in undertaking their specific constructions. Part 3 I have had a good career progression following the numerous architectural experiences through time. The experience involves the 5 years of working with a large London based architectural practice, and then the preceding years working with my own practice that we have set with a fellow Cambridge post-graduate. The experience has helped shape my career and helped me to identify with my intended career path which is setting up of my own practice and picking on the major architectural projects that will be available in the market. The setting of my own practice will be a major move for my career because it will imply that I will be applying my practical knowledge towards the projects that I will be undertaking, and this will be a major thing due to the large experience and practical knowledge that I will impact on such projects.3 If I set up my own practice, I will carry out a good management of different personnel and resources to ensure that I attain high standards of quality work on the projects that I will be undertaking. I will ensure that I hire competent architects to work with me in different projects that I will be undertaking as a way of ensuring that the high standards of quality work has been attained. The competency of the architectures will also mean that a good reputation will be set for the other potential clientele to be able to adopt and give more opportunities for more projects to be carried out by the practice. The organization for my practice will also involve setting up of a good financial plan that will enable both the large and small projects to be carried out without problems, and the organization will also involve a good reputation being set up between the project and the financial institutions as a way of having them finance any forms of projects that would come up in the process. I will be able to win work for the practice that I will set by carrying out an extensive marketing of the services that I provide. My main competency in this case lies on the wide experience that I have attained from working with a renowned architectural firm to setting up of a successful practice that has carried out a number of different successful projects. The competency that I have attained is an aspect that will be able to win me work, and this will be cemented with my Cambridge interdisciplinary experience that will highly influence my approach to different types of work that I will be undertaking. Cambridge is known to have the best quality of education and hands on skills, and the fact that I have a post-graduate from the institution will be an additional advantage towards getting in the field that I will have familiarized and established a reputation. I intend to develop different aspects of my professional experience, skills and knowledge, and the particular one in this case is the marketing of my services to the potential clientele. I intend to develop the marketing of my architectural services as a way of meeting my professional goals, and this will arise in the case where I set up my own practice for offering architectural services. I will advance my abilities in this case by taking up classes which will be targeted at improving my knowledge and skills towards the marketing of the architectural services that I will be providing. I will also attend numerous marketing seminars and be able to interact with successful architects as a way of learning from them and being able to improve my marketing skills for purposes of meeting my professional goals. Bibliography Edison, J. Modern Architecture. New York: Wiley Press, 2013. Ian, K. RIBA book of 20th century British housing. London: Cengage Learning, 2014. Jodidio, P. Tadao Ando at Naoshima: Art, Architecture, Nature (London: Cengage Learning, 2009) Khan, H. Modern Architecture. New York: Cengage Learning, 2012. Thomas, G. Extremes: Contradictions in contemporary Japan (New York: Wiley Press, 2013) Read More