Tag: ryue-nishizawa | ArchDaily

"I Don't Separate Architecture and Infrastructure": Interview With Shohei Shigematsu on OMA's New Museum Addition

Vladimir Belogolovsky — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

When the New Museum's original SANAA-designed building, a stack of shifted opaque boxes wrapped in a metal mesh skin, opened in 2007, it already seemed destined for some form of expansion to relieve the vertical pressure created by its constrained circulation and limited footprint. In March, the museum unveiled its long-anticipated addition, designed by OMA's Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas. The angular and slightly set-back companion building doubles the museum's exhibition capacity while reshaping the institution's relationship to the city and to the original SANAA structure by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

Who Has Won the Pritzker Prize?

Nicolás Valencia — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The Pritzker Prize is the most important award in the field of architecture, awarded to a living architect whose built work "has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity through the art of architecture." The Prize rewards individuals, not offices, as happened in 2000 (when the jury selected Rem Koolhaas instead of his firm OMA) or in 2016 (with Alejandro Aravena selected instead of ELEMENTAL); however, the Prize can also be awarded to multiple individuals working together, as was the case in 2001 (Herzog & de Meuron), 2010 (Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa from SANAA), and 2017 (Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta from RCR Arquitectes).

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.

Touching the Earth Lightly: How Freeing the Ground Plane Shapes Architectural Atmosphere

Jonathan Yeung — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Architecture and its atmospheric qualities have long been a subject of discussion, yet reaching a consensus on the matter remains elusive. This is largely because spatial experience is deeply personal—rooted in emotions, sensory perceptions, and individual preferences that are difficult to articulate in words alone. The way one perceives, feels, and interacts with a space adds another layer of complexity, making it challenging to define and agree upon its atmospheric impact. Nevertheless, architects and designers continuously strive to shape environments that are not only functional and comfortable but also capable of evoking emotions and leaving a lasting impression on their occupants.

SANAA Receives the 2025 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture

Nour Fakharany — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, founders of the practice SANAA, will receive the 2025 Royal Gold Medal for architecture. Awarded on behalf of His Majesty the King, the medal is one of the highest honors in the field, recognizing what RIBA describes as SANAA's contribution to shaping contemporary architecture through simplicity, light, and refined design.

SANAA Founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa Awarded the 2025 Le Prix Charlotte Perriand

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, founders of the renowned architecture firm SANAA, have been announced as the recipients of the 2025 Le Prix Charlotte Perriand by the Créateurs Design Awards. Announced today in Paris, France, the award honors exceptional contributions to modern architecture and design. Sejima and Nishizawa, known for their minimalist designs that integrate form, function, and the environment, continue to be recognized as innovators in the field, having been previously recognized with the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2010. Sejima and Nishizawa will accept Le Prix Charlotte Perriand at the Créateurs Design Awards ceremony in Paris on January 18, 2025.

Perfect Days: An Ode to Tokyo's Public Toilets

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:30:00 +0000

"A bathroom is a place where everyone is equal—there is no rich or poor, no old or young; everyone is part of humanity." This reflection was shared by Wim Wenders, exponent of New German Cinema and director of the film Perfect Days (2023) when asked about the striking sets of his most recent work. Wenders selected Tokyo's public restrooms to craft a narrative that deeply explores themes of solitude, simplicity, and the beauty of everyday life.

A Look Back at the 9 Japanese Architects Honored with the Pritzker Prize

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Last week, Japanese architect and social advocate Riken Yamamoto was announced as the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, becoming the 9th Japanese architect honored with the profession's most prestigious award. Throughout the 45-year history of the Pritzker Prize, Japan stands out as the nation with the highest number of laureates. While geography is not a criterion in the selection of the laureates, Japanese architecture consistently impresses with its interplay of light and shadow, the careful composition of spaces, soft transitions between interior and exterior, and attention to detail and materiality. An ingrained culture of building also celebrates diverse designs and encourages global dialogue and the exchange of ideas and best practices. Read on to rediscover the 9 Japanese Pritzker laureates and glimpse into their body of work.

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.

9 Newly Opened Museums Enriching the Arts and Culture Scene

Andreea Cutieru — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 05:30:00 +0000

Last year, a series of new museums, expansions and several museum renovations have opened their doors to the public, adding a new dimension to the cultural landscape around the world. From the long-awaited re-opening of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, to Ryue Nishizawa's Jining Art Museum merging with the landscape, and MVRDV's reflective Art Depot, discover the architecture of the latest venues of art and culture.

"I Am Always Inside the Architecture that I Design": In Conversation with Toyo Ito

Vladimir Belogolovsky — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 03:30:00 +0000

Examining the work of Tokyo architect Toyo Ito (b. 1941) – particularly his now seminal Sendai Mediatheque (1995-2001), Serpentine Gallery (London, 2002, with Cecil Balmond), TOD's Omotesando Building (Tokyo, 2004), Tama Art University Library (Tokyo, 2007), and National Taichung Theater (2009-16) – will immediately become apparent these buildings’ structural innovations and spatial, non-hierarchical organizations. Although these structures all seem to be quite diverse, there is one unifying theme – the architect’s consistent commitment to erasing fixed boundaries between inside and outside and relaxing spatial divisions between various programs within. There is continuity in how these buildings are explored. They are conceived as systems rather than objects and they never really end; one could imagine their formations and patterns to continue to evolve and expand pretty much endlessly.

Japan's Art Islands: The Works of Sou Fujimoto, Ryue Nishizawa, and Kazuyo Sejima

Romullo Baratto — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima are the three main islands of an archipelago in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. What sets them apart from the many other Japanese islands is the large number of exceptional architectural works designed by some of the greatest architects and artists in the world. These projects are part of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, an art complex idealized by billionaire businessman Soichiro Fukutake in the 1980s, composed of eighteen museums, galleries, and open-air installations.

Images of Ryue Nishizawa's Jining Art Museum Showcase The Organic Shapes Inhabiting the Landscape

Andreea Cutieru — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 05:30:00 +0000

The Jining Art Museum, designed by Japanese architect Ryue Nishizawa in China’s Shandong province, merges architecture and landscape across three structures unified by a distinctive architectural language. Images by photographer Paulo dos Sousa showcases how the museum relates with the adjacent lake and the surrounding greenery while also highlighting how the main architectural gesture of the organically shaped roof creates a series of intermediary spaces that expand the museum’s activities outwards into the environment.

La Samaritaine / SANAA + LAGNEAU Architectes + Francois Brugel Architectes Associes + SRA Architectes

Hana Abdel — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 07:10:00 +0000

This project is the renovation of La Samaritaine, a late-19th century “Grand magasin” in Paris.The site is of great historical significance and the footprint of the building extends from Rue de Rivoli to the Quai du Louvre, overlooking the Seine.

SANAA’s Redevelopment of La Samaritaine to Open its Doors This Year

Andreea Cutieru — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 05:30:00 +0000

After surpassing many hurdles, SANAA's renovation of La Samaritaine Department Store is set to open its doors to the public. The redesign of the Parisian retail institution reinstates its historical value while bringing a contemporary contribution to its architecture.

SANAA Wins International Competition to Design the Shenzhen Maritime Museum

Christele Harrouk — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 06:30:00 +0000

The proposal designed by SANAA, “The Cloud on the Ocean” was just selected as the winning entry of the International Architecture Design Competition for the Shenzhen Maritime Museum. Led by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, SANAA imagined an intervention emerging between mountains and sea, combining the local cultures, site features, and maritime elements.

Selected Projects of Pritzker Laureates’ in 2020

Scarlett Miao — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 05:00:00 +0000

This year, architecture’s highest honor, the Pritzker Prize, has been granted to Grafton Architects, a Dublin-based architectural firm mainly ran by female partners Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. For the first time ever in its 42-year history, due to the constraints set by Covid-19 global pandemic, the organizers of the Pritzker Prize decided to use Livestream the award ceremony. Having reached the end of 2020, ArchDaily has summed up what current and previous Pritzker Prize winners have accomplished during this turbulent year.

Beka & Lemoine’s Latest Film "Tokyo Ride" Features Pritzker Prize Winner Ryue Nishizawa

Christele Harrouk — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 05:30:00 +0000

Questioning “how rooted architecture practice is and how much the built and cultural environment feeds and shapes our imagination”, Beka & Lemoine’s latest film follows one of the most celebrated Japanese architects of our times, Ryue Nishizawa in his vintage Alfa Romeo (Giulia) as he wanders in the streets of Tokyo. After winning the prestigious DocAviv 2020, the black and white documentary Tokyo Ride will soon première in many major architecture film festivals both in Europe and in North America.