Tag: junya-ishigami-associates | ArchDaily

Why do we want to float? The psychology of lightness in architecture

Camilla Ghisleni — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000

In 1962, architect Buckminster Fuller imagined a floating city that would free humanity from its dependence on Earth. The hypothetical project consisted of massive airborne geodesic spheres that would naturally levitate on warm, sun-heated air and be anchored to mountaintops. Designed to house thousands of people, Fuller's Cloud Nine aimed to ease land ownership politics and housing shortages while helping preserve nature.

UIA 2026 Barcelona Reveals Program Structured Around Six Thematic “Becomings”

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 06:30:00 +0000

More than three decades after previously hosting the event, Barcelona is set to welcome the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona (UIA2026BCN), bringing the global architectural community back to the city between 28 June and 2 July 2026. Organized under the theme "Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition," the Congress is expected to gather approximately 10,000 participants from over 130 countries, including practitioners, researchers, and students. Rather than being confined to a single venue, the event will unfold across multiple locations along the Mediterranean seafront, among them the Three Chimneys complex, positioning the city itself as an active platform for exchange, discussion, and public programming.

ArchDaily’s Readers Select Who Should Win the 2026 Pritzker Prize

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 07:30:00 +0000

As the architecture community looks ahead to the announcement of the 2026 laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, anticipation once again gathers around what is widely regarded as the profession's highest honor. Founded in 1979 by Jay Pritzker and administered by the Hyatt Foundation, the prize recognizes a living architect whose body of work demonstrates a consistent and significant contribution to humanity and the built environment.

Shaping Desire: How Architects Redefine Commercial Spaces

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In contemporary architecture, commercial spaces have become more than points of sale; they are stages where identity, image, and experience converge. Stores, showrooms, and branded interiors often operate as laboratories where architects experiment with form, material, and light, translating corporate narratives into spatial experiences. In this context, the architect emerges as a mediator of desire, shaping atmospheres that guide perception, evoke emotion, and subtly influence behavior. This role reveals a complex intersection between design and capitalism: the creation of spaces that sell not only products, but also aspirations, lifestyles, and cultural meaning. By transforming commerce into an architectural performance, these projects invite reflection on how the discipline negotiates its agency in a world where visibility and image have become as essential as function.

Rethinking the Flat Datum: Designing Space with Incline and Intent

Jonathan Yeung — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Historically, architecture and the built environment have insisted on creating flat, hard surfaces. In earlier eras, walking without paved ground meant mud-caked shoes, uneven footing, tripping hazards, standing water after rain, and high maintenance. Hence, as we shaped cities, we prioritized a smooth, continuous, solid horizontal datum. The benefits are real: easier walking, simpler cleaning, and straightforward programming—furniture, equipment, and partitions all prefer a level base. This universal preference for building on flat ground remains the norm and, for many practical reasons, will likely continue to be.

Understanding Soft Architecture: The Shift from Monument to Moment

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In recent years, architecture has increasingly embraced adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness as core design principles. This evolution reflects a shift from traditional notions of static, permanent structures to dynamic environments that can adjust to changing needs and conditions. Central to this transformation is the concept of "soft architecture", which leverages pliable materials and innovative systems to create spaces that are functional, sustainable, and user-centric. Soft architecture takes shape through membranes that breathe, façades that move, structures that inflate or fold, and surfaces that bend rather than break. It involves designing for transformation — not only in how a building performs environmentally, but also in how it can accommodate shifting functions, user interactions, or temporary occupations. This approach to building challenges traditional notions of durability and control, proposing instead a more responsive and open-ended architecture. It reflects a growing awareness that buildings, like the societies they serve, must be able to evolve.

Taming Nature: How Architecture is Redefining Its Relationship with the Environment

Jonathan Yeung — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Integrating natural elements into architectural design has long been a fundamental pursuit in creating comfortable, sustainable environments that enhance both individual well-being and the relationship between buildings and their surrounding context. In areas with vast landscapes, incorporating natural elements is essential for seamlessly connecting architecture with its site. Conversely, in dense urban environments dominated by built structures, introducing greenery becomes also increasingly vital, reintroducing nature into the so-called "concrete jungle."

Tatiana Bilbao, Alison Brooks, Michel Rojkind and Jun'ya Ishigami Among Architects Elevated to AIA Honorary Fellowship

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 05:30:00 +0000

The American Institute of Architects (AIA), a professional organization dedicated to supporting architects and advancing the field of architecture, has announced the elevation of 93 architects to its College of Fellows. This recognition is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the profession and society. This year's class includes 83 AIA member-architects and 10 international architects granted Honorary Fellowship. The newly elevated Fellows will be recognized at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2025 (AIA25) in Boston.

ArchDaily's Best Architectural Projects of 2024

Hana Abdel — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Throughout the year, ArchDaily's team of curators works on expanding and populating our project library. Located all around the world, each curator carefully considers the best works emanating from their respective regions in an effort to have a diverse representation of the most inspiring and innovative built works. The team looks to new rising practices, new technologies, and the vernacular revival of traditional construction techniques. Seeking socially driven initiatives, as well as major works by renowned architects, the overall offers a holistic view of the built world today and is relayed through the yearly project review.

Pioneering Change: The Obel Award Recognizes Transformative Innovations Since 2019

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 05:30:00 +0000

The Obel Award is an international prize seeking to highlight unconventional and original initiatives within the architectural profession. Supported by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation, each annual award is centered around a specific theme. By exploring a different challenge of the built environment each year, the award remains open to a wide range of solutions and architectural innovations, honoring those contributions that have a positive impact on both people and the planet.

The Obel Award Announces Theme for its 6th Cycle, the 2024 Edition

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 05:30:00 +0000

The Obel Award is an international prize for architectural achievement presented annually by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation. Each year, the jury selects a specific theme and grants an award to a promising solution. For the 2024 edition, the prize that honors architectural contributions that positively impact both people and the planet will be focused on “Architecture With”.

12 Architect-Designed Products Showcased During Milan Design Week 2024

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 02 May 2024 07:30:00 +0000

This year's Milan Design Week brought together designers, architects, producers, and key figures from the design world. The events were divided between the Salone del Mobile at Rho Fiera, a trade fair with over 1950 exhibitors, and Fourisalone, featuring various events across Milan. With numerous installations throughout the city and a wide range of events, conferences, and debates, Milan Design Week stands as one of the most significant design-focused events worldwide. For architects, this represents an opportunity to not only exchange ideas but also to actively contribute through collaborations and explorations across disciplines.

Discover the Main Locations and Events to Visit During Milan Design Week 2024

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Milan Design Week stands as one of the most important events in the global design calendar, serving not only as a showcase of innovation but also as a catalyst for critical discourse and creative exchange. This year, the event unfolds with a multitude of exhibitions, installations, and talks happening throughout Milano during the week of April 15-21, 2024. By bringing together diverse voices, perspectives, and talents, Milan Design Week becomes relevant for architects and serves as a nexus for interdisciplinary dialogue. To help you better navigate the plethora of events, conferences, and installations, this article highlights the main venues hosting activities revenant for architects and designers, from the expansive trade fair Salone del Mobile in Rho Fiera to design districts across the city and unexpected locations hidden in Palazzo courtyards or reimagined industrial heritage sites.

The Power of Emotions: How Does Space Move Us?

Romullo Baratto — Fri, 12 May 2023 04:00:00 +0000

"The taste of the apple lies in the contact of the fruit with the palate, not in the fruit itself," Jorge Luis Borges once said. The taste is not something inherent in itself; its experience is the result of an encounter. Similarly, emotions are not contained within architecture, but are only felt through the encounter of the body with the space, when it becomes a place. How does the environment affect how we feel? This is the question that drives the duo of artists and filmmakers Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine in their latest endeavor, the book "The Emotional Power of Space," which will be released on May 17th in an event preceding the opening of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023.

The 15 Winners of the 2023 ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards

David Basulto & Diego Hernandez — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 09:50:00 +0000

After another successful selection process, with over 150,000 votes cast during the last 3 weeks, the collective intelligence of our community has helped us to highlight and recognize the best recent architecture projects. The 75 finalists, which is already a winners list, are a testament to the innovative and diverse ways in which architecture responds to the challenges of our built environment.

House & Restaurant / junya ishigami + associates

Hana Abdel — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0000

The project is a residence/restaurant for a French restaurant owner. He is an old friend of mine, and he was the one who commissioned the Tables for a Restaurant. I was asked to design a building as “heavy” as possible. “I want an architecture whose heaviness would increase with time,” he said. “It cannot be artificially smooth but rather something with the roughness of nature. Authentic cuisines require such a place.” He also told me that “it has to look as if it has been there and will continue to be there for the longest time.” His idea was to create a brand-new long-established restaurant. He was longing for something that is both a house and a restaurant, something he could pass on to his children and grandchildren. Now, he invites guests to the restaurant as he would invite friends to his house, and with someone special, he would let them into the living room or even stay overnight. When the restaurant is closed, the hall serves as a place for the family to spend time or for the children to study. The plan is arranged with the restaurant on the north and the residence on the south. To go back and forth between the spaces, they can walk through any one of the three courtyards that separate them.

Art Biotop Water Garden Recognized with Inaugural Obel Award

Eric Baldwin — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 12:00:00 +0000

The inaugural Obel Award has been awarded to Art Biotop Water Garden by Junya Ishigami+Associates. Announced at a ceremony at the Utzon Center in Aalborg, Denmark, the award recognizes architectural achievement and is presented annually by The Henrik Frode Obel Foundation. The prize is 100,000 Euros and an artwork by leading artist Tomás Saraceno.

Step Inside a 360° Virtual Tour of the Serpentine Pavilion

Niall Patrick Walsh — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 06:40:00 +0000

For those around the world unable to attend the opening of Junya Ishigami’s Serpentine Pavilion in London, photographer Nikhilesh Haval of nikreations has published a virtual tour of the structure. Similar to previous productions of Frida Escobedo’s 2018 Pavilion, BIG’s 2016 Pavilion, and SelgasCano’s 2015 Pavilion, the virtual tour allows viewers to experience the “free space” philosophy that defines the pavilion, playing with our perspectives of the built environment against the backdrop of a natural landscape.