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With the introduction of Western building techniques,
materials, and styles into Meiji Japan, new steel and concrete structures
were built in strong contrast to traditional styles. Japan played some role
in modern skyscraper design because of its long familiarity with the
cantilever principle to support the weight of heavy tiled temple roofs.
Frank Lloyd Wright was strongly influenced by Japanese
spatial arrangements and the concept of interpenetrating exterior and
interior space, long achieved in Japan by opening up walls made of sliding
doors. In the late twentieth century, however, only in domestic and
religious architecture was Japanese style commonly employed. Cities bristled
with modern skyscrapers, epitomized by
Tokyo's crowded
skyline, reflecting a total assimilation and transformation of modern
Western forms. |
