Build July (2016)

Build Magazine 23 Company: YDS Architects Email: [email protected] Phone: 81-0362725572 Web Address: www.ydsaa.net/index_e.html Address: Suidobashi-Nishiguchi Kaikan 6F 2-20-7 Misakicho,Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Yoshitaka expands on this project, which he cites as his most successful project to date, the model by which he attests to his belief in open architecture that takes full advantage of the sun and wind. “The simple white box with the terrace and garage was the realization of my method of designing complex and bountiful spaces by employing simple geometries.” In addition, he recognises that ‘House K’ was a valuable learning curve, from which he gained a deeper appreciation of the relationship between voids and light. “In previous houses I had designed up until then, there was a large void over the living room, that was relatively easy to manipulate. In this house, however, there was only a narrow, 0.9-metre-wide voids that corresponded to the sizes and layouts of rooms in the second floor. “By making use of these narrow spaces, I came up of the idea of T-shaped voids. Thanks to this, the spaces grew further, and light was allowed to illuminate the whole area. “In fact, these changes of light reminded me of the new transitional changes of light. This transitional changes of light and shadow are one of the characteristic spatial images of Japanese space. While imagining these spaces, I was reminded about the traditional Japanese architectures like Katsura Imperial Villa and the way in which my work reflected that devotion to the use of natural light.” With these successful projects under his belt, Yoshitaka looks forward to leading YDS Architects into new, exciting projects. Among these new upcoming works are housing (areas by Tadao Ando), as well as museums and other public facilities, which will further develop the concept of his architectural method. “The industry in Japan is somewhat brisk thanks to the Tokyo Olympic in 2020. But I think the clearer visions of our cities and architectures are needed. A clear-cut and soft approach to the industry with a political aspect should be decided upon as soon as possible.”