Interior Design Blog

The Tokyo-based forum was a continuation of the research from the summer t-sa forum in 2009, which investigated Adaptable Systems. The site for the most recent brief was an architecture bookshop Nanyodo at Jimbocho (the centre of bookshops and publishing houses in Japan's capital). With the shop owner Tetsushi Arata and an assistant Masako Nakazawa acting as client, students were asked to develop an architectural principle for the site that would slowly evolve through a design process into adaptable systems. These systems were tested against the building's use, context, site history and materiality.
 

In teams of five, the students attended three workshops titled Context, Craft and Casting headed up by London-based architects and designers Ana Araujo, Alain Chiaradia and David Phillips. Collaboration with leading Japanese practices also helped to foster creative and inspirational atmosphere. Architect Souhei Imamura of Atelier Imamu gave a lecture on Tokyo, around the theme of context and adaptability, and the t-sa forum participants visited the offices of Kumiko Inui and Kengo Kuma and Associates.

From here, each group developed the design for their own adaptable systems: circulation, hide and seek, storage, display and permeability. The resulting interventions and artefacts were presented alongside a 1:20 site model, which was built from layers of paper by all students. The completed pieces were then exhibited on site at the Nanyodo Bookshop for two weeks in April.

The t-sa forum Tokyo was supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, The British Council and Nanyodo bookshop. The fifth annual t-sa forum in August 2010 is now open for applications. For more information about the workshop visit www.t-sa.co.uk/forum