junya.ishigami+associates

Project: The Kanagawa Institute of Technology,
Kanagawa / Japan

This building is a project space for students on the campus of the Kanagawa Institute of Technology in a suburb of Tokyo. Through the use of a vast number of slim vertical columns in an apparently random, computer-generated configuration and the dissolution of anything resembling a solid wall, the architects have created an airy space flooded with natural daylight that offers enormous flexibility of use. The large areas of glass that bound the space establish a permanent sense of connection with the surrounding outdoors.

The jury's verdict: "Using relatively little in the way of materials, the architects have constructed an image of multiple meanings, whose minimalist vocabulary nonetheless succeeds in creating a subtle and poetic architectural work of art."

Website: www.jnyi.jp

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