Architecture Portfolio

Mathieu Wauters * Selection

Mathieu Wauters

09/24/1985Latemstraat 61, 9830 Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium

+1 646 504 [email protected]

Master in Architecture, St-Lucas School of Architecture, Ghent, BelgiumGraduated Cum LaudeMaster in Architecture and Urban Planning, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan (exchange student)Master in Architecture, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain (exchange student)

Louis Vuitton Architecture Dpt., ParisAssistant Architect Project Manager - China Zone (6 months)Xavier Donck & Partners, Deinze, BelgiumDesign Consultant (1 month)HB Design Pte. Ltd., SingaporeJunior Architect (10 months)

2004-2010

2009-20102007

2010-2011 2010

2008-2009

The Green Shotengai is an urban planning concept borrowed from traditional Japanese urban charac-teristics. It offers an alternative solution to the inevitable development of a rural suburb some 35 km outside of Tokyo. With ‘Super Aging in Japan’ as a central theme, the project aims to find a compromise between the economically driven demand for the development of a new station area, and the needs of the local aging community. Rather than to follow the typical pattern of building identical shopping malls without any relation to the surroundings, as seen with many other stations along the same train line, the Green Shotengai is a combination of a pedestrian shopping street and an agricultural park, respecting the needs of the community and underlining the rural charm and identity of the area.

Project nominated for entry in the “Young Architect Award” competition, organised by the American Institute of Architects, 2010

Green Shotengai - Master Thesis2010

The Green Shotengai is an urban planning concept bor-rowed from traditional Japanese urban characteristics. It offers an alternative solution to the inevitable development of a rural suburb some 35 km outside of Tokyo. With 'Super Aging in Japan' as a central theme, the project aims to find a compromise between the economically driven demand for the development of a new station area, and the needs of the local aging community. Rather than to follow the typical pattern of building identical shopping malls without any relation to the surroundings, as seen with many other stations along the same train line, the Green Shotengai is a combination of a pedestrian shop-ping street and an agricultural park, respecting the needs of the community and underlining the rural charm and identity of the area.

A former school building next to the station is converted into a quality living environment where elderly people can age with a high quality of life. Abandoned due to a lack of children, the project symbolizes the current problems Japan is facing: schools are closing, elderly homes are booming. The former school building forms the core of the masterplan and houses an elderly home, a day care centre for elderly, a child daycare centre and apartments for the elderly. The ground floors are filled with the typical small shops and eateries found in a Shotengai, whereas living is located in the upper floors. The rooms in the home are pushed outside of the façade with different depth, generat-ing an animated space on the inside, similar to the back alleys or ‘Roji’ found everywhere in Japan. Instead of a corridor, a fluent social space is created where social interaction between residents is stimulated. Living is focused onto the busy inner street, while the supporting functions of the buildings are oriented towards the parks surrounding the site.

_

GREEN SHOTENGAI

MATHIEU WAUTERSAUSMIP 2010

グリーン商店街

MASTERPLAN 1/1000 ATMOSPHERE SECTION

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Kashiwa Kita High School, Kashiwa Tanaka - Chiba Prefecture

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS IN JAPAN CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARDS ELDERLY CARE AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION

CONCLUSIONRESEARCH

The Japanese generally have a negative view towards institutionalizing elderly people. Institutionalization is often regarded as shameful or as a failure of traditional values and widely associated with the legend of Obasuteyama, the mountain where, long ago, aging parents who no longer contributed to the family economy were taken by their eldest sons and left to die from starvation and cold. Living with their eldest son, being surrounded by their respectful grandchildren and receiving attentive care from their daughter-in-law is still seen as the ideal by most Japanese seniors. Institutionalization was often seen as abandonment by one’s own children. Especially seniors who were born in the Meiji and Taisho periods – who are now 80 years old and above – hold on to this ideal (Wu, 2004). However, as Japan arose from the ashes of World War II, the country underwent a second wave of mass westernization and industrialization (the first one being the Meiji Restoration of 1868). As a result, traditional values weakened gradually as more western ways were adopted, and the traditional elderly care system or ie system based on filial piety is being questioned more and more. Moreover, people who lived their lives mainly in the period after the war have adapted to Western values such as democracy and freedom in the post-war educational system and were largely influenced by modern material life and mass media. Therefore they have a stronger consciousness of basic rights and a different view of institutionaliza-tion. Sixty-five years after the war, we can see that the children of the baby-boom generation are showing a gradual shift in attitudes, moving away from traditional values and towards formal care.

The declining family support and care for the elderly, combined with the evergrowing number of senior citizens has inevitably led to an ever-increasing demand for institutions and care systems for the elderly. Because of the unparalleled pace of this social change, and the enormous burden it puts on the Japanese economy, government institutions alone are not up to the job. Naturally, new forms of elderly care such as home help and group homes are emerging, and with the participation of the private sector the inno-vations in elderly care systems are going to be a phenomenon to watch for other industrialized countries worldwide, as they too are looking for solutions to this global problem.   There are three possible reasons – besides the aging of the popu-lation – why there has been an increase in demand for institution-alization in Japan. First, the constitution of families has changed over the years. Extended family households traditionally perform-ing filial piety are decreasing significantly. Secondly, Japanese women who were traditionally the primary caregivers for older adults have been participating increasingly in the workforce. Finally, Japanese views on the role of families are changing. There has been a significant drop in the number of people who consid-ered that it was children's responsibility to be caregivers for their elderly relatives, and that it was the family's role to look after their emotional wellbeing. 

CONCEPT DRAWINGS

In many respects, one can describe the past ten years in Japan as a period of elder care entrepreneurship characterized by the cre-ation of an array of new services and facilities. These are needed to address the rapidly growing requirements of an elder popula-tion that currently represents over 22% of the population and is expected to grow to more than 35% by 2050. While the LCTI pro-gram has stimulated a considerable expansion in services and facilities for elderly care, their still remains a shortage of both be-cause the number of elderly requiring care is rising fast, most likely faster than the number of organizations or institutions catering to them. Many countries will pay close attention to these evolutions as to draw important lessons for their own problems.

Thesis: Super Aging in JapanAnalysis, Trends & Consequences for ArchitectureMathieu Wauters 2010

SUPER AGING IN JAPAN

After the Second World War, Japan’s population skyrock-eted from approximately 72 million in 1945 to over 127 million in 2005, making it the ninth most populous country in the world. However, if we take into account Japan’s small inhabitable land surface it is the world most densely popu-lated country (CIA World Factbook). Improved living conditions, a rapidly growing economy and declining child mortality rates combined with excellent health care were the main reasons for this population explo-sion. It also has given the Japanese people the highest life expectancy in the world. At respectively 85.8 years for women and 78.8 years for men, girls born in Japan today are likely to live until the year 2095, men a few years less. However, as both birth rates and mortality rates continue to drop, this “Revolution of Longevity”, has brought about dra-matic changes in age composition, which have quickly made Japan the “greyest” country in the world as well.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHANGES

The aging of the population slows down the economic growth. This slowing down encourages female labour and foreign labour, further diversifying value systems and creating multi-ethnic cities. As more women work, the birth rates decline fur-ther. And the cycle continues (Ohno, 2000). According to cur-rent projections, the Japanese Empire is likely to continuously shrink to 121 million by 2025, 100 million by 2050, all the way down to 64 million (half) by the end of this century (Conrad, Lützler, 2002). It is obvious that this will have major implications on all levels of society, including architecture. The aging popula-tion might slow down economic growth, but on the other hand it also generates new opportunities for companies. As the number of the elderly increases, you also see them beginning to consti-tute a new market. The aging population also creates a new demand in economic terms, and this marks a change of histori-cal proportions (Nagasaka, 2000). This can be witnessed for example in the booming sector of private group homes for elderly.

LEVEL 0

1/250

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 1

LEVEL 3

ROOFLEVEL 4

The Green Shotengai is an urban planning concept bor-rowed from traditional Japanese urban characteristics. It offers an alternative solution to the inevitable development of a rural suburb some 35 km outside of Tokyo. With 'Super Aging in Japan' as a central theme, the project aims to find a compromise between the economically driven demand for the development of a new station area, and the needs of the local aging community. Rather than to follow the typical pattern of building identical shopping malls without any relation to the surroundings, as seen with many other stations along the same train line, the Green Shotengai is a combination of a pedestrian shop-ping street and an agricultural park, respecting the needs of the community and underlining the rural charm and identity of the area.

A former school building next to the station is converted into a quality living environment where elderly people can age with a high quality of life. Abandoned due to a lack of children, the project symbolizes the current problems Japan is facing: schools are closing, elderly homes are booming. The former school building forms the core of the masterplan and houses an elderly home, a day care centre for elderly, a child daycare centre and apartments for the elderly. The ground floors are filled with the typical small shops and eateries found in a Shotengai, whereas living is located in the upper floors. The rooms in the home are pushed outside of the façade with different depth, generat-ing an animated space on the inside, similar to the back alleys or ‘Roji’ found everywhere in Japan. Instead of a corridor, a fluent social space is created where social interaction between residents is stimulated. Living is focused onto the busy inner street, while the supporting functions of the buildings are oriented towards the parks surrounding the site.

_

GREEN SHOTENGAI

MATHIEU WAUTERSAUSMIP 2010

グリーン商店街

MASTERPLAN 1/1000 ATMOSPHERE SECTION

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Kashiwa Kita High School, Kashiwa Tanaka - Chiba Prefecture

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS IN JAPAN CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARDS ELDERLY CARE AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION

CONCLUSIONRESEARCH

The Japanese generally have a negative view towards institutionalizing elderly people. Institutionalization is often regarded as shameful or as a failure of traditional values and widely associated with the legend of Obasuteyama, the mountain where, long ago, aging parents who no longer contributed to the family economy were taken by their eldest sons and left to die from starvation and cold. Living with their eldest son, being surrounded by their respectful grandchildren and receiving attentive care from their daughter-in-law is still seen as the ideal by most Japanese seniors. Institutionalization was often seen as abandonment by one’s own children. Especially seniors who were born in the Meiji and Taisho periods – who are now 80 years old and above – hold on to this ideal (Wu, 2004). However, as Japan arose from the ashes of World War II, the country underwent a second wave of mass westernization and industrialization (the first one being the Meiji Restoration of 1868). As a result, traditional values weakened gradually as more western ways were adopted, and the traditional elderly care system or ie system based on filial piety is being questioned more and more. Moreover, people who lived their lives mainly in the period after the war have adapted to Western values such as democracy and freedom in the post-war educational system and were largely influenced by modern material life and mass media. Therefore they have a stronger consciousness of basic rights and a different view of institutionaliza-tion. Sixty-five years after the war, we can see that the children of the baby-boom generation are showing a gradual shift in attitudes, moving away from traditional values and towards formal care.

The declining family support and care for the elderly, combined with the evergrowing number of senior citizens has inevitably led to an ever-increasing demand for institutions and care systems for the elderly. Because of the unparalleled pace of this social change, and the enormous burden it puts on the Japanese economy, government institutions alone are not up to the job. Naturally, new forms of elderly care such as home help and group homes are emerging, and with the participation of the private sector the inno-vations in elderly care systems are going to be a phenomenon to watch for other industrialized countries worldwide, as they too are looking for solutions to this global problem.   There are three possible reasons – besides the aging of the popu-lation – why there has been an increase in demand for institution-alization in Japan. First, the constitution of families has changed over the years. Extended family households traditionally perform-ing filial piety are decreasing significantly. Secondly, Japanese women who were traditionally the primary caregivers for older adults have been participating increasingly in the workforce. Finally, Japanese views on the role of families are changing. There has been a significant drop in the number of people who consid-ered that it was children's responsibility to be caregivers for their elderly relatives, and that it was the family's role to look after their emotional wellbeing. 

CONCEPT DRAWINGS

In many respects, one can describe the past ten years in Japan as a period of elder care entrepreneurship characterized by the cre-ation of an array of new services and facilities. These are needed to address the rapidly growing requirements of an elder popula-tion that currently represents over 22% of the population and is expected to grow to more than 35% by 2050. While the LCTI pro-gram has stimulated a considerable expansion in services and facilities for elderly care, their still remains a shortage of both be-cause the number of elderly requiring care is rising fast, most likely faster than the number of organizations or institutions catering to them. Many countries will pay close attention to these evolutions as to draw important lessons for their own problems.

Thesis: Super Aging in JapanAnalysis, Trends & Consequences for ArchitectureMathieu Wauters 2010

SUPER AGING IN JAPAN

After the Second World War, Japan’s population skyrock-eted from approximately 72 million in 1945 to over 127 million in 2005, making it the ninth most populous country in the world. However, if we take into account Japan’s small inhabitable land surface it is the world most densely popu-lated country (CIA World Factbook). Improved living conditions, a rapidly growing economy and declining child mortality rates combined with excellent health care were the main reasons for this population explo-sion. It also has given the Japanese people the highest life expectancy in the world. At respectively 85.8 years for women and 78.8 years for men, girls born in Japan today are likely to live until the year 2095, men a few years less. However, as both birth rates and mortality rates continue to drop, this “Revolution of Longevity”, has brought about dra-matic changes in age composition, which have quickly made Japan the “greyest” country in the world as well.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHANGES

The aging of the population slows down the economic growth. This slowing down encourages female labour and foreign labour, further diversifying value systems and creating multi-ethnic cities. As more women work, the birth rates decline fur-ther. And the cycle continues (Ohno, 2000). According to cur-rent projections, the Japanese Empire is likely to continuously shrink to 121 million by 2025, 100 million by 2050, all the way down to 64 million (half) by the end of this century (Conrad, Lützler, 2002). It is obvious that this will have major implications on all levels of society, including architecture. The aging popula-tion might slow down economic growth, but on the other hand it also generates new opportunities for companies. As the number of the elderly increases, you also see them beginning to consti-tute a new market. The aging population also creates a new demand in economic terms, and this marks a change of histori-cal proportions (Nagasaka, 2000). This can be witnessed for example in the booming sector of private group homes for elderly.

LEVEL 0

1/250

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 1

LEVEL 3

ROOFLEVEL 4

Kalwall is a translucent fenestration system whose primary element is a structural composite sand-wich panel formed by permanently bonding, under heat and pressure, specially formulated, fiberglass-reinforced translucent faces to a grid core constructed of interlocked, structural aluminum/composite, thermally broken "I" beams. Panels can be curved or flat.

Highly InsulatingKalwall is exceptional at reducing thermal heat/cooling loss and controlling solar heat gain to deliver significant savings in HVAC costs. During the manufacturing process, the panels can be infilled with translucent insulation. Optional thermally broken panels yield the ultimate in energy performance and condensation control. U-factor performance ranges from a standard .29 to include options from .53 to .05 in the standard 2-3/4 inch (70 mm) panel thickness. Unlike gas-filled technology, which eventually leaks out, Kal-wall's highly insulating properties remain con-stant, forever.

Quality DaylightingKalwall has the unique ability to fill a space with diffused, natural daylight, even on cloudy, dark days. Millions of prismatic glass fibers imbedded in the faces of Kalwall refract sunshine and even overcast daylight, in a balanced, diffuse wash of glare-free, usable light. Shades, curtains and light shelves can be eliminated.

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CONSTRUCTION

2D CONSTRUCTION DETAIL 1/50 3D CONSTRUCTION DETAIL FUNCTIONAL SECTION 1/50KALWALL

WEST ELEVATION BLOCK A EAST ELEVATION BLOCK A

EAST ELEVATION BLOCK B WEST ELEVATION BLOCK B

SIDE ELEVATION

PRIVATE

PUBLIC

SERVICE ROOMS SERVICEFLATSSHOTENGAI

As part of the revitalization efforts in Nihonbashi, central Tokyo led by Prof. Uno from the University of Tokyo, we were asked to design a piece of street furniture using very simply cut wooden members from a local woodmill. The idea was to create a bench that would reflect it’s surroundings. 8 layers of wooden members, each 30cm long, were stacked in a seemingly random order. The chaotic look-ing members were sawn off into a very straight form. The design reflects the “chaos within order” or “structure withing chaos” inherent to Tokyo and Japan in general.

Exhibition “Timberize”Spiral Building (by Fumihiko Maki) in Aoyama, TokyoMay - June 2010

Chaosbench2010

Design in collaboration with Rob Ragoen. Construction in collaboration with Rob Ragoen, Shunsuke Takeda, Akihiro Okada, Hideki Matsuura

Ruin in reverse2008

In collaboration with Axel Clissen and Tristan Gobyn.

What on earth are we doing?! As part of the Experimental Architectural Design Lab, this project aims to explore the possibilities of the “compact city”, along with organic, ever-expandable modular high-rise architecture. In a way the project was also about making a statement about the current architectural policy, and the endless consumption of land surface seen in the world today.

What on earth are we doing?!2008

In collaboration with Axel Clissen and Tristan Gobyn.

Exhibiting the core aspects of the Ruin in Reverse project on 81cm: Green open space.

Exhibition “81,125cm”Sint-Lucas, GhentJune - July 2008

Bachelor Thesis Densification2007

Located on a former industrial site along a river in the city of Aalst, this project comprises 80 housing units placed around a community centre. All of the 4 types of units have outside terraces overlooking the park and the river. The blocks in the southwest corner of the site are placed quiet close to each other, respecting the density of the city, whereas the northeast wings spread out to leave an open space that serves the residents as a semi-public riverside park.

The Melting Pod Tour is a bicycle tour on which several small pods with different functions are strategi-cally placed. In an effort to activate the town of Kashiwa Tanaka (Chiba, Japan), this project aims to at-tract national and international tourists arriving from Tokyo and other places across Japan while invol-ving the local inhabitants in the process. This could be achieved for all three groups by joining the tour for a relaxing day in a nice rural area and to enjoy the bars, art galleries, (agricultural) exhibitions and so on. The basic idea is for people to spend a nice cultural and educated day in Kashiwa-noha Tanaka.

Melting Pod Tour2010

In collaboration with Rob Ragoen and Saeko Yusakawa

EXAMPLESIMULATIONPOSSIBILITY

OPEN ACTIVITIES

COVERED ACTIVITIES

FUNCTIONAL PLACE

ACTIVATED PLACE

PODS PROVIDE A SPACE FOR ALL KIND OF ACTIVITIES

1 2 3 4

1

2

3

4PODS HAVE A LIVELY ARCHITEC-TURE AND DESIGN

pod LR8LIBRARY

RESTPOINT

OUTSIDE READING

INSIDEREADING

BOOKCLUB

pod GM11

GALLERY

ARTINSIDE

ARTOUTSIDE

MEETINGSPOT

ARTCLASS

pod TT2

JAPANESE CLASS

TRADITIONALART

ORIGAMICLASS

LEARNING

AGRICULTURALWORKSHOPS

pod TM9

BIKEPLACE

CLASSES

MEETINGPOINT

CONCERTS LECTURES

WORKSHOPS

pod BL6

TERRAS

CHATTING PLACE

LIBRARY

BAR

MEETINGSPOT

pod SLEEPdormterras

kitchenettebathroom

pod BIGbike rentalrest pointmeeting pointlibrary

art galleryinformation centremodern teaching

traditional teaching

pod BIbike rental

information centre

14

pod ARagricultural gallery

rest point

13

pod MBmeeting spot

bar

15

pod LTlibrary

modern teaching

16

2 pod TTtraditional teaching

pod AGagricultural gallery

3

pod TBmodern teaching

bike rental

4

pod GRgallery

rest point

5

pod BLbar

library

6

pod TSmodern teaching

7

pod LRlibrary

rest point

8

pod TRtraditional teaching

12 pod GMgallery

meeting point

11

pod LMlibrary

meeting point

10

pod TMmodern teachingmeeting point

9

1 pod RIrest spot

information centre

A Palazzo for Hugo Claus2006

In the heart of Ghent, on a corner plot along the tree-lined Coupure street, we were assigned to design a luxurious waterfront house for the famed Belgian writer Hugo Claus. The program demanded that a library, a small theater, several guest rooms, a swimming pool and an exhibition space be integrated in a design for a house that had the potential to become a museum after the writer’s death. The glass volume -containing the library and vertical circulation- makes the connection with the adjacent houses while giving the concrete volume the prominence of a detached house. Private and semi-public func-tions are dispersed over the 2 distinctly different looking buildings, while visually connecting them by means of continuity of the load-bearing columns on the ground floor.

Material Skills2006

The brief for this project was to design showcase housing somewhere along the E17 highway between the cities of Kortrijk and Antwerp. Key issues that had to be addressed were visibility of the design, special use of materials, and the possibility for a quick assembly. These demands resulted in a design that explicitly showcases itself as a billboard, floating across the highway rather than standing beside it. The vierendeel-beam box is supported by hundreds of concrete-filled bamboo shoots. Behind the printed glass façade lie 2 box-in-box houses built out of composite materials.

Louis Vuitton Architecture DepartmentNov 2010 - May 2011

Working as an assistant project architect at Louis Vuitton’s in-house architecture department in Paris has proved to be a unique opportunity to work with world-class professionals on multi-million dollar projects. Daily tasks ranged from administrative work to shop drawing verification to facade studies and interior design. The examples shown are facade studies for Hanghou Eurostreet, a global store set to open in 2012, Interior design such as the ‘Bags Bar’ for the Kunming Ginko store which opened in June 2011 and furniture and interior design for the 2011 expansion of the Shanghai IFC global store. Presentations were an important part of the job as work had to be presented bi-weekly to the executive comittee for approval.