26 June 2009
Acclaimed architects and design commentators reflect on the cities, eras, inventions and trends that have inspired them.
Ishigami established junya.ishigami+associates in 2004. His works include Yohji Yamamoto’s Gansevoort Street store in New York (2008) and the Venice Biennale Japanese Pavilion (2008). Ishigami won the Architectural Institute of Japan’s Architectural Design Division prize for 2009.
Favourite building…
Santo Spirito Church, Florence, Italy.
The precinct with the most notable examples of fine architecture…
Kyoto.
The city that provides endless inspiration for an architect…
Every city I have lived in or visited – Istanbul, London, Dubrovnik, Oslo, Florence, Moscow, Manhattan, Ubud, Split, Paris, Edinburgh, Vienna, Seoul, Berlin, Venice, Kyoto, Tokyo.
Most useful design trend of the past decade…
That we are no longer following [prescribed] directions. In a time of diverse values, we are entering a new phase of originality.
Wish you had designed…
Nature. It would be wonderful to develop artificially the richness of the natural environment.
Source: Qantas The Australian Way July 2009