#50 September 13, 2022
We have recently been working on a number of projects in West Africa. These include the Dr. Leila Mezian Museum in Casablanca, the Kumasi Vocational School in Ghana, and Chairman of the Judging Committee for an Idea Competition to Assist People in Addressing Droughts in Senegal. This raises the question of why I am focused on West Africa. I have frequently talked about episodes of my travels in West Africa when I was a university student, and Prime Minister Kishida apparently heard about them. This resulted in the Prime Minister talking about my involvement with West Africa in the beginning of his opening speech for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) that was held in Tunis, which surprised me.
I spent two months traveling in West Africa in 1979, and crossed the Sahara Desert. I was fed up with the architecture of concrete and steel from the period of rapid growth, but was not interested in Japanese architecture which seemed old fashioned to me. Seeing the architecture of West Africa that is made with mud and straw gave me inspiration, and provided many specific hints. From this perspective, West Africa is the point of origin for where I am today. I think it would be wonderful if relaying this story to the heads of state of Africa helps promote new cultural exchanges between Japan and Africa.
ProjectsPadova Congress Centre
This project is the new replacing of the Palazzo delle Nazioni (1951), in the Congress Centre located in the historic Padua Fairs (Fiera di Padova). The front gate, which uses reliefs preserved from the old Palazzo delle Nazioni, emphasizes the central axis that passes through the convention center. … Read MoreProjectsThe Cloud
The design of the "Cloud" pavilion is inspired by the Polish and Japanese tradition of wooden architecture. The pavilion is designed on the basis of an individual interpretation of traditional carpentry connections. The project is inspired by analysis of slanted locks and dovetail joints connections … Read MoreProjectsJugetsudo Tsukiji
We designed a space that embodies the spirit of “Chazen” (concept that Way of Tea and Zen are the same) inspired by bamboo “Nodate” umbrellas. “Nodate” (outdoor tea ceremony), which is said to originate from Sen-no-Rikyu, emphasizes hospitality towards guests over proper etiquette. This resonates wi … Read MoreProjectsSnow Peak FIELD SUITE SPA
A spa-villa-restaurant complex attached to Snow Peak's headquarters in Sanjo, Niigata. It attempts an architectural translation of Snow Peak's philosophy of moving the center of human activity from indoors to outdoors. The roof of the building is lined up to echo the elegant ridge in front of the to … Read MoreProjectsU:up Yotsuya
In a site located along the bustling Shinjuku Street, we designed a new urban lifestyle hub as an aggregation of small units. Aluminum panels are randomly dispersed along the 12-story building façade, reflecting the dispersed nature of our lifestyle post-Covid. The aluminum panels are printed with a … Read MoreProjectsKusugibashi
A bridge in Osogoe, Shuto Town, Iwakuni City destroyed by the Western Japan Flood in July 2018, was rebuilt as a wooden bridge that will become a new symbol for the community. On both sides of the bridge are the brewery and store of “Dassai”, a Japanese sake produced by Asahi-Shuzo brewery known for … Read More