When a city really becomes one with the air, water and sun I am sure that people will feel the vitality of this. To create cities where this is not lost is a very important message I want to convey to the world.
In this video from the Louisiana Channel, Japanese architect Hiroshi Sambuichi reflects on the Japanese city of Hiroshima—his home town—and the ways in which it has undergone a radical transformation following the atomic bombings of the Second World War. Known primarily for his interest and work in the field of sustainable design and building, Sambuichi describes how "the power of nature"—allowing flora and foliage, water and air to rapidly reclaim swathes of the built environment—has been central to the city's recent urban success.
“Originally Hiroshima was just like Miyajima, a place with an affluent culture. And the wind, water and sun were moving very beautifully in this town,” Sambuichi recalls. Following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was widely assumed that "no plants and trees would grow for 70 years. But trees and plants started to grow immediately."
Learn more about Sambuichi's installation The Water at the Cisterns in Copenhagen, Denmark, here.