JA108 is a special issue on the architect Akihisa Hirata. It is a record of his design work over about 15 years, from his earliest works to works currently underway. For Hirata, architecture is part of the living world.
Throughout his career, he has consistently sought to extend this perspective conceptually and in his practice, through geometric systems, methods to incorporate diversity, and concepts arising from the search for organic connections, notably karamari (an intertwined relationship) and karamari-shiro (an opportunity for karamari). Working at various scales, he continues to propose new settings for human activities.
