Contemporary Japanese architecture reveals a distinctive relationship with nature, particularly through the recurring presence of trees and forests as both physical elements and conceptual frameworks. This approach is not incidental, but rooted in a cultural tradition where nature is understood as integral to existence—where humans, land and sky form a unified cosmology. Architectural expressions in Japan, therefore, often reflect a deeper continuity with this sensibility, especially through the symbolic and spatial use of arboreal elements. This investigation traces such tendencies across artistic and cultural precedents, and explores how they re-emerge in contemporary practice, not merely as ecological gestures but as essential design operations. The analysis begins with historical-cultural antecedents, identifying how trees and forests were represented in traditional arts and how those motifs influence modern architectural thinking. The second phase focuses on the figure of the tree in architecture, distinguishing between two tendencies: the “constructed tree,” where natural forms are abstracted and reinterpreted architecturally, and the “natural tree,” where the presence of actual vegetation becomes a determinant of spatial logic. These dual approaches reveal both aesthetic and environmental motivations, negotiating between symbolism and ecological embeddedness. The final section explores the notion of the forest within architectural design, again distinguishing between metaphorical reinterpretations and the literal incorporation of living tree clusters as architectural structure or companion elements. The resulting compositions often seek to evoke the sensations and perceptual richness of the natural forest, whether through structural mimicry or immersive, vegetated spaces. Collectively, these tendencies suggest that Japanese architects do not simply draw inspiration from nature, but actively integrate it as form, matter and medium. This integration is not a response to contemporary ecological urgency alone, but a cultural continuity with Japan’s traditional worldview. In doing so, these works propose a model of architecture where nature is not represented—but inhabited.
López del Río, A. (2022). A naturaleza interior. El árbol y el bosque en la arquitectura japonesa contemporánea. PhD thesis, Universidad de Valladolid.
