BUILD Q2 2019

113 Q2 2019 BUILD Nov18475 Creating Beautiful Spaces YDS Architects is a group of architects who strive for innovation in design with the vision ‘ Architects should be visionaries of Art and Science with Philosophy ’. Taking time to provide us with a detailed insight into the award-winning firm is Principal Architect, Yoshitaka Uchino who reveals to us more about the innovative designs YDS Architects creates. At YDS Architects, the practice consists of partners, project leaders, and architects. Yoshitaka bears total responsibilities for all the projects, partners have as equal authorities for designs and managements as he has. Highlighting the internal culture at the practice, Yoshitaka explains to us how he ensures that each member of the team adhere to the firm’s key principles. “Overall, we encourage all staffs to submit their original designs and concepts, and we discuss them with sketches and models. The most important thing for managing staff is to share visions of YDS. By collaborating with them for all projects based on the vision, we try to raise morals of staffs.” Looking ahead to what the future holds, Yoshitaka signs off by revealing the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline for the team at YDS Architects, especially following their recent success as being selected in BUILD’s Ones to Watch 2019. “The more architectures that we have around, we have realised that the more creative ideas and concepts we have come up with. Driven by its original visions, we design ‘Wavering Archi- tectures’ which stimulate human minds and invoke communica- tions between human and nature. Currently, we are designing buildings including residential buildings, kindergartens, schools, offices, museums with the concept of ‘Wavering Architectures’.” Company: YDS Architects Contact Name: Yoshitaka Uchino / Principal Architect Web Address: www.ydsaa.net Address: 2-20-7-6F, Kanda-Misakisho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan Telephone: +81-3-62725572 ince their inception in 2005, YDS Architects has designed various houses, residential buildings and schools throughout the years. The team aim to create beautiful spaces with nature, where people can feel the transitions of light and shadow. The firm’s designs unify both architectures and wildlife nature by breaking down the boundaries between them. Yoshitaka begins by going into detail about the approach taken when working with a new client, and how the team ensure that the qualities they possess enable them to stand out from their competitors within the industry. “Before we embark on any projects, we check various points including environments and histories for the site of the projects. After we fully understand the situations of projects, we pursue every possibility by drawing enormous sketches and making tons of models for all projects. Mostly basic concepts are decid- ed by myself, along with discussions over sketches and models with other members of the team to evolve concepts and designs. “Our original concepts and designs based upon our philosophy set us apart from others. Also, our skills of design provide outstanding architectures at a reasonable cost. For example, when we design residential buildings, we think over the meaning of ‘living together’ and try to connect them with cities by creating public spaces.” When discussing the firm’s designs, Yoshitaka informs us of how the team at YDS Architects are able to create innovative solutions which enables them to maintain their success. “By employing simple geometry including circles, squares, and uniform grids as a methodology, and based upon five principles: Nature, Voids, Spaces of Square, Spaces of Passage, Symbio- sis. The practice pursues to integrate architectures and nature, East and West, past and present. “Although some projects have not been realised, the idea and the concept would be reincarnated in other projects. Rather, the thoughts would move even deeper and be cemented in some unprecedented forms because they have not been built. “These unrealised concepts continue to lie hidden deep in minds, and the imaginations of architectures would become stronger, it might bear fruit in unwavering forms. When the intensity of spirits and density of concepts reach to eccentric point, architectures to be built would stimulate human spirits and open up new worlds. Some of the realised projects have been designed upon ideas with which past projects have not come true. As such, we highly embrace and value unbuilt con- cepts and ideas to create innovative solutions.” S