frontofficetokyo

31/12/2025

hard to believe it is the end of another year already.

2025 was filled with notable events. For us...

The Expo 2025 at Osaka was thrilling. Especially as we were the architect of record along with Frank La Riviere Architects, for the Spanish and Czech pavilions. A lot has been written about the event, and we expect to spill a little more ink on the subject in the new year. All in all it was an amazing thing to be part of, and a great learning experience.

We were also very happy our design for housing in Belgium (along with Joris de baes architects) was awarded the Rethinking the Future Prize, and shortlisted by the World Architecture Festival. We presented our design along with OMA and Toronto-based Partisans and 12 others in November this year (spoiler, OMA took the prize). This was also an experience. Very happy to make a lot of new friends and to meet up with old friends as well. Looking forward to taking part in the festival again.

Happy new year to everyone and see you all in 2026!
#日本建築

31/12/2024

Not exactly a New Year's resolution, but something to aspire to.

This is a video we took in the late summer in Tokyo and it says everything about why Tokyo is such a great place to live and work. It's a big city, but everyday life is human scaled, even the maintenance. And it's thoughtful on top of that. Where else do you see city workers cutting trees and hedges with a custom screen designed to make sure people walking by aren't hit by flying leaves?

Here's to a year of making more great places for the people who use them.

Happy 2025!

fot

#日本都市

25/10/2024

Very happy to announce that frontoffice tokyo is the architect of record along with Frank La Riviere Architects for the Czech pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka. Apropos Architects are the design architects. Planning was approved and construction is well underway.

This project is being built with a stunning CLT structure, all the more exciting for being built in a part of the world where earthquakes and typhoons are common.

We are looking forward to seeing the building come to life over the next months. Foundations are already in place and the first layers of wooden structure are up.

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23/10/2024

Recent site update of the spanish pavilion under construction.

The long timber span is impressive and beautiful, hinting of great things to come.

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07/08/2024

FOT included in the 30 best Architecture and Design Firms in Tokyo by architizer.com!

https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/best-architecture-firms-in-tokyo-japan/

If Tokyo is a vibrant metropolis acts as a gate to the future, then these architects are shaping the city of tomorrow.

12/06/2024

So very sad to learn of the passing of Fumihiko Maki this morning.

He was kind and a true gentleman. Both Koen and Will studied at the University of Tokyo at a time when his presence was still strongly felt and his influence on our work is undeniable.

Later, Will was fortunate to teach with Maki San at Keio University when he first started teaching in Tokyo. Maki San always spoke kindly and with insight, and was a great role model for both practice and life. He is already missed.

Tokyo native known for modernist style designed 4 World Trade Center

22/05/2024

Will wrote a short article on resilience in Japan for AIA New York called ‘Resilience in Japan’ https://www.aiany.org/committees/design-risk-reconstruction/?topic=resilience-in-japan

If the last decade has taught us anything it is that resilience planning is needed more than ever. Japan offers the example of an open-ended planning system that is also very strict where it needs to be. It is emergent but also directionally predictable.

Published in collaboration with The Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee (DfRR) of The American Institute of Architects (AIA), AIA New York | Center for Architecture AIA New York State.

18/03/2024

Recently joined the blessing of construction for the Spanish pavilion at World EXPO 2025. Moving from the temple to the site. The ring designed by is already well underway and looks brilliant.

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01/03/2024

Very proud to announce that we are currently working with Frank La Riviere Architects as the local architects for the Spanish Pavilion for the World Expo in Osaka, designed by Enorme Studio, ex-tudio, and Smart and Green Design

We are very excited to be part of the team and looking forward to seeing this example of circular construction take shape for the expo in 2025.

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15/11/2023

christian dimmer joins a simultaneous chat on Tokyo's future as a vertical city, with audiences in both Tokyo and Venice!

More info to follow. Hope you will join us!

13/11/2023

FUTURE RURAL: Casting a non-Western gaze on the rural-urban dichotomy

Our partner and planning expert, Christian Dimmer, will be joining Yuki Sumner at the AA School to discuss the future of the countryside in Japan. Details in the link below

Friday 17 November 2023
10:00 - 18:00
AA Lecture Hall

https://www.aaschool.ac.uk/publicprogramme/whatson/future-rural-casting-a-non-western-gaze-on-the-rural-urban-dichotomy

07/11/2023

Happy to announce that our partner, Erez Golani Solomon, is a visiting Lecturer for the next year at the University of Chicago, Department of Art History, and at the Center for East Asian Studies.

Chicago is an amazing city and the University of Chicago is an exciting venue to introduce Japanese Architecture and to learn from all the activities and history all around. There is already a strong Japanese architecture connection in the city, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Tadao Ando. Erez will hopefully add a little more to the mix ;-)

Erez Golani Solomon Japanese Architecture and Cities [email protected] Biography Erez Golani Solomon is a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Design and Theory at the School of Architecture and the Graduate Program in Urban Design at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. He earned his Ph...