#44 November 9, 2021

I am happy to report that I have been selected as one of “The Most Influential People of 2021” by Time Magazine in the U.S. The text summarized the reasons for me being selected as my championing of the ideal of “losing architecture” was written by Kenjiro Hosaka, who was the curator of the special exhibition of Kengo Kuma that was held at the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.

His comment of “Such public projects—which require architects to accept certain conditions and demands, and limit their freedom of expression—can nonetheless gain natural sympathy and create a welcome new space for communities“ made me the most happy.

The reason for this is that gaining sympathy within the limits of various projects is the most important thing for me. The “limits” on architecture will most likely increase an extensive amount in the future. Budgets will continue to decrease, and requirements concerning the environment and universal design will transition to a much higher level.

This trend poses the possibility that only boring architecture with no sense of presence will be built if things go wrong. Therefore, in light of this difficult situation, it is extremely important to continue to work hard to gain the sympathy of people for architecture. I strongly feel that accomplishing this is my true mission in life.