Related to internship, we have had numerous inquiries from around the world. From the forthcoming September, with an extension of our office space, Satoshi Okada architects will accept some people. Please send us your "cv" and "portfolio" by e-mail at mail@okada-archi.com.
For example ..., have you thought on "universality"?
What is it?
And, does it exist on earth?
When I am invited to foreign academia,
I am always introduced I am a Japanese architect....
It means that they - the others, at least here, in foreign countries -
superpose "particularity" of Japan on me.
However, on the other, I am sure it is never satisfactory for them
because there are numerous other Japanese architects in the world.
Now, only I could suppose is they must be looking through something other,
the remainder, which is never collected into Japan, in me.
And I wonder if it is what touches the "universality" .....
Here the difficulty is I can hardly catch it.
It is like a gaping hole at the centre of my body;
Or, like an itch on the back.
Satoshi Okada
Mr. Yukio Futagawa, one of the greatest architectural photograpers in the world, took pictures of Villa in Kaikoh for GA HOUSES vol.118 (October, 2010), published in pp.8-27 and cover page.
IUAV and Promovetro for a new Museum of Glass
The creation of a new museum dedicated to contemporary Murano glass and its extraordinary potentiality: This is the central theme of a workshop organized by the newly introduced architectural IUVA, in collaboration with the Consortium Promovetro Murano, under the guidance of internationally renowned Satoshi Okada.
Promovetro, with the crucial help of the Museum of Glass has accepted June 29, 2010 Murano a group of 80 students at Scuoal Abate Zanetti Glass, on the basis of the educational project opened in Venice, are immersed for five days in the reality of 'island. Within three weeks the boys will have to design a structure to create a new glass museum, drawing some areas of the Museum of Glass is currently unused and available appointments.
The 'mission' which are called the young people, coordinated by the tutor Matthew Dario Paolucci, you create spaces to promote the Murano glass beyond mere commercial aspect, as part of Venetian culture and identity in an era of globalization. 'Obviously this is a simulation of an exercise for students, but we are very pleased to be partnering with IUAV - said Gianfranco Albertini, chairman of Promovetro - and the interest of big name international architecture as Okada. We strongly believe in the interaction with the academic Venetian, and we believe that this experience can come out important ideas, which can find practical implementation in the future."
The results of the workshop and finally selecting the best projects will be presented at the headquarters of the University on the forthcoming July 16th. (Promovetro)
IUAV e Promovetro per un nuovo Museo del Vetro
La creazione di un nuovo museo dedicato al Vetro di Murano contemporaneo e alle sue straordinarie potenzionalità: questo il tema al centro di un workshop di proggettazione architettonica organizzato dallo IUVA, in collaborazione con il Consorzio Promovetro Murano, sotto la guida dell'architetto di fama internazionale Satoshi Okada.
Promovetro, con la fondamentale collaborazione del Museo del Vetro ha accolto il 29 giugno 2010 a Murano un gruppo di 80 studenti presso la Scuoal del Vetro Abate Zanetti che, sulla base del progetto didattico dell'ateneo veneziano, si immergeranno per cinque giorni nella realtà dell'isola. Nell'arco di tre settimane i ragazzi dovranno progettare una struttura per creare un nuovo museo del vetro, ispirandosi ad alcuni spazi del Museo del Vetro attualmente non utilizzati e messi a disposizione dallo stesso.
La "missione" cui sono chiamati i giovani, coordinati dal tutor Matteo Dario Paolucci, è creare degli spazi capaci di promuovere il vetro di Murano oltre il mero aspetto commerciale, come parte integrante della cultura e dell'identità Veneziana nell'era della globalizzazione. "Ovviamente si tratta di una simulazione, di un esercitazione degli studenti, ma siamo comunque molto soddisfatti di questa collaborazione con IUAV - ha sottolineato Gianfranco Albertini, presidente di Promovetro - e dell'interesse di un grande nome dell'architettura internazionale come Okada. Crediamo molto nell'interazione con la realtà accademica veneziana, e siamo convinti che da questa esperienza possano nascere idee importanti, che potranno trovare un'attuazione concreta in futuro".
I risultati del workshop e la selezione dei migliori progetti saranno infine presentati presso la sede dell'ateneo il 16 luglio prossimo. (Promovetro)
For the future of Museum of Glass - the students ideas of Iuav
la Nuova di Venezia -- 30 giugno 2010 pagina 43 sezione: GIORNO/NOTTE
The rationalization and redesign of existing spaces and the recovery of those still available are the new challenge IUAV for what could be a future redesign of the Glass Museum of Murano. Boasting a workshop last week in collaboration with the Consortium Promovetro, and under the supervision of the Japanese Satoshi Okada, a group of students will be opened in Venice during the next three weeks to implement the new proposals submitted on 16 July IUAV. Promovetro, in collaboration with the Museum, has agreed to Murano students, based on an educational project, will focus on five days in the reality of the island. The mission they are called youth coordinated by the tutor Matthew Dario Paolucci, is to create spaces to promote the Murano glass beyond mere commercial aspect as part of the culture and identity of Venezia era of globalization. "This is a tutorial for students, but we are very pleased to be partnering with the Iuav - said Gianfranco Albertini, chairman of the Consortium Promovetro Murano - Thinking of a great name also to the international architecture which Satoshi Okada. We believe in interaction with the academic Venetian, and we believe that this experience can come out important ideas." - (Simone Bianchi)
la Nuova di Venezia -- 30 giugno 2010 pagina 43 sezione: GIORNO/NOTTE
La razionalizzazione e la riprogettazione degli spazi esistenti, e il recupero di quelli ancora disponibili, sono la nuova sfida lanciata dallo Iuav per quello che potrebbe rappresentare un futuro restyling del Museo del Vetro di Murano. Con alle spalle il workshop organizzato ieri mattina in collaborazione con il Consorzio Promovetro, e con la supervisione dell'architetto giapponese Satoshi Okada, un gruppo di studenti dell'ateneo veneziano sarà impegnato nelle prossime tre settimane a realizzare le nuove proposte che verranno presentate il 16 luglio allo Iuav. Promovetro, con la collaborazione del Museo, ha accolto a Murano gli studenti che, sulla base di un progetto didattico, si concentreranno per cinque giorni nella realtà dell'isola. La missione cui sono chiamati i giovani coordinati dal tutor Matteo Dario Paolucci, è creare spazi capaci di promuovere il vetro di Murano oltre il mero aspetto commerciale, come parte integrante della cultura e della identità di Venezia nell'era della globalizzazione. ?Si tratta di un'esercitazione degli studenti, ma siamo comunque molto soddisfatti di questa collaborazione con lo Iuav - ha sottolineato Gianfranco Albertini, presidente del Consorzio Promovetro di Murano - Pensando anche all'interesse di un grande nome dell'architettura internazionale quale Satoshi Okada. Crediamo molto nella interazione con la realtà accademica veneziana, e siamo convinti che da questa esperienza possano nascere idee importanti?. - (Simone Bianchi) /
From June 28 to July 16, I will be at IUAV, Venezia, Italy, for teaching as a unit master of the summer workshop: http://farworkshop.wordpress.com/okada/
This time, I will stay in Venezia during the period for giving some lectures as well as managing my studio. If you are interested in our event, you are welcomed, and it is a good chance to see those who have sent me e-mails so far from Italy or other neighbor countries.
When you visit me, please contact in advance to: satoshi@okada-archi.com.
happy new year 2010 from Satoshi Okada, Satoshi Okada architects
Here in Japan, we usually celebrate the New Year's coming and the days-off. As usual, I made a trip to Kyoto to experience old pieces of architecture, garden, and townscape. Every year, I find something new even today.
Our office starts on January 6th. This year, too, we are blessed with lots of wonderful projects by great clients. On this special occasion, I always thank them all and my associates. My mission is nothing but to gratify clients' expectations upon my performance in architectural design.
Left is under-construction scene of "Villa in Atami." it will be completed in May 2010.
It is always exciting to visit any construction site. This is an under-construction scene of "villa in karuizawa." The roof is made of steel structure; 150mm thick and 40 meter long. Beneath the roof, only the living quarter is placed surrounded by totally transparent walls towards nature. Its gentle curvature functions as a blinder against the neighbor building beyond, as well as, certainly, a shelter for making the interior with the varied ceiling height for enjoying the space itself. The realm for sleeping and bathing is on the ground level partly buried in the cliff. It will be completed in the spring 2010.
On December 4th, I received "Gold Prize" in the category of Environmental Design at Design For Asia Award by Hong Kong Design Center. In the ceremony, I met Arch. Toyo Ito, who came to the event as one of speakers for a symposium on December 5th. It was really an unexpected meeting for talking of recent happenings on each side. The initial encounter to Ito-san went back to my graduate student days, almost 25 years ago, when I was his teaching assistant. At that time, he had just completed his own house, "Silver-Hut," and started walking onto his grand road towards a greatest master architect. The "Silver-Hut" was a memorial place for me to meet Kenneth Frampton for the first time. When Ken visited the house as an interviewer related to the film by Michael Blackwood, Ito-san kindly invited me and made me introduced to Kenneth. We talked about his essay of "Critical Regionalism" in a tiny book, The Anti-Aesthetic, I had happened to hand at the Urban Book Center in New York in 1987. Indeed, the meeting with Ken pushed me out to GSAPP, Columbia.
Shining like a beacon in a crowded Japanese street is this compact home that deals with its challenging site in an ingenious fashion.
Forget the star of Bethlehem. In Japan they have what looks like a man-made version, fallen from the sky on to a tight plot near Tokyo. By the door there's a sports car instead of Frankincense, gold and myrrh, and inside glossy floor tiles take the place of hay. The house, clad in rust-proof steel, was designed by wise man Satoshi Okada (www.okada-archi.com), who wanted to create a wow-factor building on the tough site, wedged between houses at the end of a narrow lane, on a riverside that's prone to subsidence. His solution was to tilt and trim walls to avoid being too close to neighbors, and use a lightweight wooden structure and length of supported by three legs to decrease the number and length of support plies needed beneath the ground. As Belinda Carlisle would say; "We'll make heaven a place on earth." (Grand Designs, December 2009, London)