#japan

Tadao Ando: An Architect's Search for New Discoveries

One of the most prolific Japanese architects today, Tadao Ando has designed numerous buildings, each with a uniqueness befitting his very unconventional career. Born in Osaka and originally a professional boxer, Ando was exposed to none of the influences that form the intellectual foundation of so many of his contemporaries in Japan. He trained himself as an architect, and subsequently established Tadao Ando Architect & Associates in 1969. Today he is globally recognized as o

Exploring a Treasure Trove of Architectural Models at the Archi-Depot Museum

This museum has been conceived by Warehouse Terrada, which since 1950 has specialized in the warehouse storage of valuable items including art, wine, and media. As famous Japanese architects came to depend on facilities to store their prized architectural models in controlled environments, Warehouse Terrada had the ingenuity to establish the Archi-Depot Museum in June 2016 to not merely store the works, but display these once hidden gems of architectural history to the public

Architect Shigeru Ban: Investigating Material, Discovering New Potential

Read my article HERE on the current exhibition at TOTO Gallery Ma, Shigeru Ban: Projects in Progress #society #tokyo #architecture #japan

Masato Otaka and his Philosophy of PAU

Understand the work of architect Masato Otaka (1923-2010) in meticulous detail through an exhibition highlighting his life's work, Uniting Architecture and Society: The Approach of Otaka Masato. Currently showing at the Agency for Cultural Affairs's National Archives of Modern Architecture in Tokyo, this is an extensive collection of his sketches, plan drawings, and models that have fortuitously been preserved for over a decade. Read more HERE. #society #design #residential #

Published!

Midorino K Residence has been published in ECO LIVING JAPAN. Written by Deanna McDonald, this book features many projects in Japan that focus on sustainable ideas for living green. #design #residential #architecture #japan

Exploring Inside Torafu Architects' Space of Creation

Where to begin? This is probably the first question to ask yourself when you enter the exhibition Torafu Architects Inside Out at TOTO Gallery Ma. Please read more in my review here: http://www.dnp.co.jp/artscape/eng/focus/1611_02.html #architecture #tokyo #japan #design

The "Moving Materials" of Hiroshi Sambuichi's Architecture: Wind, Water, and Sun

I can recommend the current exhibition of Hiroshi Sambuichi's works at TOTO Gallery MA. You can find a brief write-up I did of the show here: http://www.dnp.co.jp/artscape/eng/focus/1605_01.html #architecture #tokyo #japan #design

Rediscovering a Modern Master of Japanese Architecture: Takamasa Yosizaka

National Archives of Modern Architecture exhibition review by AIA Japan Member James Lambiasi AIA. See article featured in artscape Japan HERE. #architecture #tokyo #japan #design

Uncovering the "Living Skills" of Kanazawa Machiya: An Exhibition of Craftsman Techniques

LIXIL Gallery exhibition review by James Lambiasi AIA. See article HERE. #society #craft #design #japan

A meeting with GAKKO

Last month I had the great opportunity to meet with the leaders of GAKKO, which is a summer camp program here in Japan. Catapulted along by the extraordinary energy of recent Yale graduates Kenta Koga and Rafi Khan, GAKKO is structured by bringing together enthusiastic university students as instructors to be the senpai of the high school participants from Japan and beyond. Kenta and Rafi have tailored this program to concentrate on building the students' creative confidenc

Inside Nakagin Capsule Tower

I recently had the great opportunity to take a look inside the Nakagin Capsule Tower apartment building, the icon of Japanese Metabolism that was completed in 1972 and designed by Kisho Kurokawa. A friend of mine knows the person renting out a capsule room on Airbnb.com, and graciously let me have a look when it was vacant between guests. By the way, if you are interested in staying the night in the room you can find it listed here. Masato, the fellow who rents out the room

That funny blue light...

They were discussed a lot in 2009 when they were first installed, but since then many people new to Tokyo may be a bit perplexed by the funny blue LED light found on many JR platforms. They were actually installed in order to help stem the terrible suicide rate prevelent in Japan, the theory being the that the calming effect of the blue light will soothe peoples nerves and help disuade them from suicidal thoughts. The really interesting thing about this project is that ther

Discovering the craft of "karakuri" dolls

As an architect practicing in Japan for over 20 years, I have worked with many Japanese carpenters and have always admired their diligence and craftsmanship. That is why I was so excited to travel in Japan and explore the 400 year old tradition of Karakuri mechanical dolls in the NHK World Documentary: A Passion for Mechanical Magic. By exploring this history, I believe one may have a clearer understanding of not just how the Japanese perceive craft, but how the process of cr

"MINI STEP HOUSE" featured in designboom.com

"MINI STEP HOUSE" has been featured in designboom online magazine. Please see the article HERE. And you can find it on our webpage here. This house design provides a sustainable living environment based on sensibilities of a rural Japanese house, yet introduced in a novel arrangement of circularly arranged spaces. Although the house does not incorporate technological attributes normally associated with many “eco” houses, it emphasizes the most fundamental principles of sus