U.S. architect finds traditional inspiration

Geoffrey Moussas

Photos by Daily Yomiuri Photographer Makoto Miyazaki

By Ayako Hirayama

Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

KYOTO--Geoffrey Moussas well remembers how excited he was when he saw an old wooden, elongated townhouse here seven years ago.

The traditional house, known as a machiya, had been left vacant for 11 years and contained nothing but a rusty Goemon buro, an iron bathtub fired by wood. But the American architect was immediately fascinated and decided to renovate the house, even though he had no experience of traditional Japanese architecture.

"As soon as I saw the house, I wanted it," the 42-year-old recalled. "I knew it was a really nice house. You can't find houses like that any more."

Fate then smiled on the architect. On the same day he first saw the house, Moussas landed a job with a renowned traditional carpentry firm, Nakamura Sotoji Komuten.

For the next three years, he learned firsthand from skilled carpenters by watching them carry out intricate joinery work on columns and beams, and quizzing them about their craft. In his free time, he put his newly acquired knowledge to practical use by doing up the 85-year-old house little by little. The renovation ended up taking five years, during which time he lived in a six-mat tatami room in the house.

Shunichi Hata, who owns the house and lives next door, marveled at the architect's courage and professionalism.

"I was thinking of knocking it down, but I'm glad I didn't," Hata said. "The house has been brought back to life. It's completely different from how it used to be."

During his first few days in Kyoto, Moussas was perplexed by the differences in workplace practices.

"Every morning, you get there about quarter to eight and have to clean up for about 20 minutes. Everyone cleans," he said. "It was very different from how I'd worked before."

Indeed, cleaning was never part of his duties when he was working at modern design offices in New York and Tokyo. But he became aware that keeping buildings clean is crucial to the preservation of architectural heritage. Moussas has gradually begun to specialize in the restoration and renovation of traditional structures, as well as designing modern structures.

His aesthetic sense, uncompromising work ethic and the importance he places on relationships with customers have drawn media attention, making him a sought-after architect attracting customers not just in Kyoto, but in Tokyo and Los Angeles, too.

Kimiko Haba, who oversees Kisshoji temple in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture, learned about Moussas through a television program earlier this year. Impressed by his passion for renovating machiya, she immediately thought that he was the right person to give the 200-year-old temple a new lease of life.

Prior to that, she had contacted several other architects, but their attitude did not impress her.

"The architects brought their designs to us before discussing what we wanted," Haba said. "But Geoffrey-san talked things through thoroughly with us. He's an artist. He really puts spirit and energy into his work."

Renovation work on the temple started in October and Moussas often travels from Kyoto to Tsushima to oversee operations. Being on-site is crucial to making sure the right decisions are made.

"In renovation, the most important thing is to decide what to throw out and what to keep," he said. "With new constructions, you can do everything on paper. But here, you have to decide everything on-site."

He admires traditional architectural customs, but his aim is not simply to restore a building to the way it once was. For him, providing a customer with a comfortable living space is more important, so he seeks ways of adding modern twists to old structures. He uses underfloor heating, for example, in every project.

Like many architecture majors, Moussas first became interested in modern Japanese architecture through works by internationally acclaimed architects such as Tadao Ando and Fumihiko Maki.

Born in New York, Moussas grew up making cardboard models. The decision to study architecture was thus a logical one. Graduate studies took him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and while a student there he had the opportunity to do an internship in Osaka.

Shortly after graduation, he returned to Japan in 1994 and worked in Tokyo for five years for two big-name architects--Maki and Yoshio Taniguchi. Moussas was a member of Taniguchi's team that won the competition to build a new building for New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Moussas was smoothly putting together a career in modern architecture, but his interest in the traditional aspects of his profession grew as he began noticing machiya and other old structures around the country. This interest eventually led him to move to Kyoto in 1998.

"In-between space" is one of the distinguishing characteristics of traditional Japanese architecture, he said, citing as an example a veranda, or engawa. "In traditional Japanese architecture, it is very hard in many ways to distinguish the interior and the exterior," he said.

Using his newly acquired knowledge and skills of traditional architecture, Moussas is continuing his journey to explore new possibilities.

Moussas now runs his own firm, Design 1st, having converted a room on the second floor of the renovated machiya house he still rents to use as a studio. The increased workload apparently does not bother him. Work keeps him vigorous.

"To me, it doesn't matter at all if it's old or new, traditional or modern. Good design is good design," he said. "I always do something different, something new. That's what's most interesting to me."