shigeru ban on archi depot's role in preserving architectural models

shigeru ban on archi depot’s role in preserving architectural models
image © designboom

a new exhibition presenting scale models by 40 japanese architects has opened at milan’s triennale design museum. the display, which remains open until july 19, 2015, showcases work by, among others, kengo kuma, riken yamamoto and hitoshi abe.

the event has been coordinated by the archi depot foundation, an organization established to conserve the scale models and designs of japanese architectural culture. the primary objective of the foundation is to preserve and present the scale models that still play an important role in the transmission of the architects’ visions to the general public.

the exhibition presents designs by 40 japanese architects
image © designboom

in architecture studios around the world, hand-crafted scale models play an invaluable role in communication. ‘architectural models are the most important tool to present the idea of an architect’, explains the archi depot‘s foundation director shigeru ban. ‘many japanese architects still make architectural models. however, I am afraid we have no system to preserve models and use them effectively. in japan, many architects do not have enough space to keep them. archi depot stores architectural models in a shared warehouse which is open to the public as an exhibition space.’

the collection is presented as an open archive
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recognizing the importance of these miniature works of art, the archi depot foundation intends to create its own museum as a space for preserving and archiving architectural models. in addition to this, the foundation is also organizing events and activities using the scale models to stimulate understandings of the relationship between architecture and the urban environment.

many of shigeru ban’s notable works are presented
image © designboom

‘nowadays computer generated visualization is common to architects, but many japanese architects keep making models,’ shigeru ban told designboom. ‘this indicates that making model is a very important tool not only to make presentations, but also to show the design process from beginning to completion. we discard models due to lack of space, but we should recognize the value of architectural models and take a proactive approach to preserve them.’

airport project by shigeru ban
image © designboom

although the exhibition includes work by a host of established names, the core of the display focuses on a younger generation of japanese architects. the models explore their visions, conveying the state of contemporary japanese architecture. the exhibition remains open at milan’s triennale design museum until july 19, 2015.

airport project by shigeru ban
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nepal project by shigeru ban 
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unbuilt house by shigeru ban 
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villa at sengokubara by shigeru ban 
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see more of the project on designboom here

villa at sengokubara by shigeru ban 
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kengo kuma’s works are presented as part of the display
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asakusa culture tourist information center by kengo kuma
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see more of the project on designboom here

asakusa culture tourist information center by kengo kuma
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starbucks coffee shop at dazaifutenmangu omotesando by kengo kuma
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starbucks coffee shop at dazaifutenmangu omotesando by kengo kuma
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yusuhara woden bridge museum by kengo kuma
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see more of the project on designboom here

yusuhara woden bridge museum by kengo kuma
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the circle at zurich airport by riken yamamoto
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see more of the project on designboom here

the circle at zurich airport by riken yamamoto
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the circle at zurich airport by riken yamamoto
image © designboom

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archi depot foundation
directors: riken yamamoto, shigeru ban, tetsuo furuichi, koh kitayama, riichi miyake
counselors: kengo kuma, fumihiko maki, yoshihisa nakano, akira tatehata

 

exhibiting architects:
hitoshi abe, shigeru ban, manabu chiba, masaki endoh, teppei fujiwara, tetsuo furuichi, masahiro harada + mao harada, akihisa hirata, kotaro ide, kumiko inui, setsu ito+shinobu ito, atsushi kitagawara, koh kitayama, kazuhiro kojima + kazuko akamatsu, eijiro kosugi + aya utsumie, kazumi kudo + hiroshi horiba, kengo kuma, norisada maeda, takenori miura, hiroshi naito, toshiharu naka, ryuji nakamura, akio nakasa, manabu naya + arata naya, osamu nishida + erika nakagawa, satoshi okada, kijo rokkaku, mitsuhiko sato, eizo shiina, ryoji suzuki, mikio tai, ippei takahashi, makoto takei, takaharutezuka + yui tezuka, hiroyuki unemori, tomoyuki utsumi, makoto sei watanabe, makoto shin watanabe + yoko kinoshita, riken yamamoto, ken yokogawa

cooperation:
japanese ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism japanese ministry of economy, trade and industry
consulate general of japan in milan
japan foundation
the japan institute of architects
politecnico di milano

creative direction:
setsu ito & shinobu ito of studio i.t.o. design

the archi depot tokyo milan exhibition has been co-organized by archi depot foundation, tokyo design center, and warehouse terrada.