Contemporary Japanese architecture combines a rich mix of traditional design practices and western modern aesthetics. The dialogue between these two is present in the integration of time-honored Japanese architectural elements such as sliding doors (fusama) and modular tatami floor mats with cutting edge design and technology. Japan architecture is at the forefront of investigating questions of micro-housing in its dense cities like Tokyo where the population outnumbers the available space. This page features the work of Japanese architectural offices such as Tadao Ando and Associates and SANAA along with interviews and articles about the ever-changing architectural discourse in Japan.
room206 Apartment / Daiki Awaya. Image Courtesy of Daiki Awaya
Kitchens encapsulate the essence of culture, acting as dynamic museums that preserve age-old recipes, processes, and traditions. Influenced by ethnic practices and culinary customs, kitchen architecture varies greatly across continents. In this context, kitchens transcend their domestic role and become insightful manifestations of cultural, societal, and regional factors. They not only serve as functional spaces for cooking and meal preparation but also stand as reflections of the rich tapestry of culture and lifestyles embraced by the individuals who inhabit them.
Toranomon Hills Station Tower. Image Courtesy of OMA and The Boundary
OMA’S inaugural tower in Tokyo and Japan, designed by Shohei Shigematsu and OMA New York, the Toranomon Hills Station Tower, will open this fall, 2023. The inauguration of the Toranomon Hills Station Tower will mark a significant milestone in Mori Building's Toranomon Hills development, an emerging global business center, and urban hub. A multi-layered transportation node integrated into the tower will establish a new gateway linking Central Tokyo with the rest of the world.
Czech Republic Pavilion at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Image Courtesy of Apropos Architects - Renders by ZAN Studio
Apropos Architects has won the competition to design the Czech Republic Pavilion at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The architecture of the intervention prioritizes movement as a crucial component of preserving physical health.
A place where “to create” and “to use” are united as one, Umaki Camp. Image Courtesy of dot architects, Yuma Harada
Japan's Pavilion has announced its exhibition “Architecture, a place to be loved – when architecture is seen as a living creature” curated by Maki Onishi, for the 18thInternational Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Centered around our post-pandemic reality of faceless developments taking over cities globally, the intervention's main question explores how people can once more find amazement in architecture and joy in shared physical spaces.
In 2018, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) announced that the Japanese city of Osaka won the bid to host the 2025 World Expo, an event expected to draw millions of visitors. The event will open on April 13, 2025, and close on October 13, 2025. This will be Japan’s second time hosting the event, as another World Expo was held in Osaka in 1970. The official theme for this edition is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” Architect Sou Fujimoto has been chosen as the Expo Site Design Producer of the event, becoming responsible for designing the master plan and directing the designers of the participating countries. As of March 24, 2023, 153 countries and regions and 8 international organizations have officially confirmed their participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
If there is any consistent factor in his work, says Pritzker-winning architect Tadao Ando, then it is the pursuit of light. Ando’s complex choreography of light fascinates most when the viewer experiences the sensitive transitions within his architecture. Sometimes walls wait calmly for the moment to reveal striking shadow patterns, and other times water reflections animate unobtrusively solid surfaces. His combination of traditional Japanese architecture with a vocabulary of modernism has contributed greatly to critical regionalism. While he is concerned with individual solutions that have a respect for local sites and contexts Ando’s famous buildings – such as the Church of the Light, Koshino House or the Water Temple – link the notion of regional identity with a modern imagining of space, material and light. Shoji walls with diffuse light are reinterpreted in the context of another culture, for instance, filtered through the lens of Rome’s ancient Pantheon, where daylight floods through an oculus. Ando’s masterly imagination culminates in planning spatial sequences of light and dark like he envisioned for the Fondation d’Art Contemporain François Pinault in Paris.
As the new year begins, we look forward to the most exciting projects planned to open in 2023. The world's second-tallest tower is currently under construction in Malaysia; Egypt is almost ready to open its largest archeological museum, while MVRDV is currently renovating a large-scale brutalist landmark in Albania. Featuring internationally renown architectural offices such as Snøhetta, OMA, Studio Gang, Zaha Hadid Architects, BIG, along with the latest winner of the Pritzker Prize, Francis Kéré, the following selection presents projects from all around the world. They also range in scale and program, from international airports to sculptural arts galleries or museum expansions.
Architecture design firm Buchan was selected to lead the design for the Australian Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Under the theme "Chasing the Sun," the installation will encapsulate Australia's connection to the land and the Cosmos, displaying its rich culture and diverse arts scene. From 13 April 2025 to 13 October 2025, more than 150 countries will participate in a single location, anticipating 28 million visitors from across the globe.
Proposta vencedora do Pavilhão do Brasil na Expo Osaka 2025. Autoria Studio MK27 e Magnetoscópio. Image Cortesia de Apex Brasil
The project led by architect Marcio Kogan was the winner of the competition for the Brazilian Pavilion at the next World Expo: Expo Osaka 2025, organized by the Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (ApexBrasil). The project is signed by professionals from MK27 and Magnetoscope. Besides Kogan, the architects Renata Furlanetto and Marcello Dantas are also authors.
