Abstract

The Canadian Embassy in Tokyo by Toronto's Moriyama & Teshima is the representation of a metatemporal continuum. Raymond Moriyama, partner-in-charge of the project, conceived of the privately financed building as an intricate tableau of determined absolutes that equally serve him and his patron, the Canadian federal government. This thesis is a theoretical study exploring three selected spaces from the Embassy which are analysed as architectural moments. The exterior envelope, the median fourth floor, and the theatre space are established as produced by and producers of metamorphosis, entropy, and seduction. The emphasis of the materialist discussion is placed on the conservative socio-political catalysts which arbitrate the practice of architecture in the context of a global capitalism bent on privileging governmental and corporate mercantile interests.