Architecture Awards 2021

46 BUILD 2021 Architecture Awards May21150 Most Innovative Architecture Practice 2021 – Japan & Best Multi-Family Residential Project (Japan): S Apartment At its best, architecture allows the most imaginative dreamers to bring truly sensational ideas into fruition. These ideas are the driving force behind the profession, inspiring architects around the world to create something truly revolutionary. We profile the team from YDS, a firm which has always championed the unexpected and the truly sensational, to see how they have been able to achieve breath-taking success. rchitecture is not just about the construction of new buildings, and few firms present the wholeness of the industry better than YDS. The team are built around the concept of innovation, pushing into new areas of art, science and philosophy. This group of architects, urbanists, thinkers, scientists, and engineers aim to create beautiful spaces with nature where people can feel transitions of light and shadow. At the heart of the firm is a desire to see how the ecosystem and architecture can be combined into something that is more than the sum of its parts. By breaking down the boundaries that exist between them, the team intend to deliver projects that are revolutionary in every possible sense. They call their style of design “Wavering Architectures”, which are designed to stimulate human minds and invoke communications between human and nature. This is done through the use of simple geometry including circles, squares, and uniform grids as a methodology, and based upon the five principles of Wavering Nature, Organic Voids, Urban Agora, Flowing Promenade and Diversifying Symbiosis. Every possibility for a design is pulled together through the use of sketches and models, before being rigorously refined. It is the original concepts and designs, based upon YDS’s unique philosophy, that sets them apart from others. Perhaps the best example of their perspective producing something spectacular is their latest project, the “S-Apartment”. This residential project is designed to reconsider the meaning of “living together”, driving an organic wedge into the city. Located in front of a large part, the building is connected into a public space acting not only as a route from the entrance to the outside world, but as an open promenade for the community at large. Light and shadow have always been at the heart of the YDS approach, and the team uses glass on the stairway to blend into the scenery of the site. Instead of being trapped inside, A the stairs have an almost floating sensation, flying over the beautiful green space like a floating promenade for people. At night, these same stairs will float and shine in the dark, and illuminate the city. By day, it will be “Void of the Light”, and by night, it will be transformed into “Tower of the Light”. When it comes to a pioneering perspective, there really is no better place to look than the team behind YDS. Their work embraces something wholly different about the world, looking for a new way of working that can benefit everyone. What is clear to them is that as more cities and regions begin to define their visions of the future, YDS will be able to expand into the design of bigger scale architectures and urban plans. For those areas of the world that want to embrace an approach that is truly unique, YDS are the logical choice. Their latest project, “S-Apartment” is only the beginning in this respect, offering a new kind of public image that people want to see. Moving forward, the team intend to refine their designs in other areas of housing and office work, in order to have even more impact on the world at large. Company: YDS Name: Yoshitaka Uchino Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.ydsaa.net