Architecture Top 50 2017

BUILD - Architecture Top 50 / April 2017 11 K Company: Frank la Rivière Architects Inc. Name: Frank la Rivière Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.frank-la-riviere.com Address: 2-11-3 Setagaya, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0017, Japan Telephone: Tel/Fax (03) 3428 4046 Designing the Future g “Secondly our designs are subtracted from a cultural, social and programmatic analysis relating to the design commissions, while the characteristics of the climate, the location and the site with its restrictions and opportunities are important sources of inspiration. “Thirdly technology, whether high or low tech, helps us to redirect the conventions dominant in the production of architecture, allowing for innovation, and as such we always aim to remain at the forefront of the latest relevant developments in the technology space. Overall, a fusion of all these aspects will basically create more humane environments, with more agreeable spaces for the people who occupy them.” Looking ahead, Frank is excited for the developments in the Japanese architecture space as the country is due to host the Olympics in 2020, and this will, until that time, provide many great opportunities for firms such as his. In his concluding comments, he discusses the market as a whole, as well as revealing various aspirations he has for Frank la Rivière Architects. “Moving forward, we foresee a gradual change from newly constructed buildings to renovation. Japan has until now not yet fully embraced the opportunities of renovation, partly because of a cultural tendency that new is better as well as the regularly changing regulations for seismic resistance. Under the impact of a greying society and thus the increase in vacated buildings the shift in works towards renovation will continue in the near future. “Personally, I take a great interest in cultural buildings and hope to get the opportunity to build exhibition and performance facilities. My other interest is in Japanese architecture, in particular the tea ceremony pavilions. To design and built a tea ceremony pavilion is another future aspiration which I hope to realise soon.”