Following the success of the inaugural HOUSE VISION Tokyo in 2013, the exhibition is set to return again this summer under the theme of “Co-Dividual: Split and Connect / Separate and Come Together.” Once again curated by Kenya Hara, designer and creative director for minimalist housewares retailer Muji, the month-long event will tackle the objective of “thinking about how to create new connections between individuals,” as well as build upon the topics explored by its previous edition, namely the ways in which Japanese housing can adapt to recent demographic, technological and cultural shifts, and the vision of the house as the intersection between industries.
This year’s exhibition will feature house designs by top Japanese architects such as Sou Fujimoto, Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban and Atelier Bow-Wow, each paired with a leading company to envision and implement new strategies in housing design. The houses will be constructed at full-scale, allowing event-goers to fully experience and reflect upon each design.
“Although we named the project HOUSE VISION, It refers to display not only the housing industry, but also the future of all industries to the public,” says Hara. “The Japanese have a strong desire for a rich and varied life. We should turn the potential desire into a concrete one.”
Driven by extreme density and a harsh economic climate, Tokyo has developed a unique housing culture that encourages architectural risk-taking. HOUSE VISION revels in that tradition by continuing to break down the boundaries between architecture and technology.
“The future of industry is not quite clear. It is the duty of designers to visualize this unclear future.” explains Hara. “I believe the important duty of designers is to let people understand that vision.”
The full list of pavilions is as follows:
1. The House with Refrigerator Access from Outside
Yamato Holdings × Fumie Shibata
2. Yoshino-sugi Cedar House
Airbnb × Tsuyoshi Hasegawa
3. Hiragana-no Spiral House
Panasonic × Yuko Nagayama
4. Tanada Terrace Office
Muji × Atelier Bow-Wow
5. Nomad House
Mitsukoshi Isetan × Tanijiri Makoto Ai Yoshida
6. Rental Space Tower
Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd. × Sou Fujimoto
7. Life Core
LIXIL × Shigeru Ban
8. Checkered Waterside
Sumitomo Forestry × Nishihata Seijun × Kuma Kengo (venue configuration)
9. Woodgrain House
Toppan Printing × Hara Design Institute
10. Between Inside and Outside / Between Furniture and a Room
TOTO · YKK AP × Atsushi Igarashi Taiji Fujimori
11. Grand Third Living Room
TOYOTA × Kuma Kengo
12. Wireless Roof House
Culture Convenience Club × Hara Design Institute (exhibition design) × Shinya Nakajima (video production)
+ Iced Coffee Shop
AGF × Go Hasegawa
The event will be held at Aomi Station in Odaiba, Tokyo from July 30th to August 28th. For more information about HOUSE VISION, visit their website here.
