Toyo Ito, a Japanese noted architect attended the 25th International Union of Architect World Congress held in August 3-5 in Durban, South Africa and gave two speeches introducing his recent works and reconstruction projects from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The architect talked to the packed audiences and received many enthusiastic questions. Ito answered to an interview when he came back to Japan.

Requested by Japan Institute of Architects (JIA) that was planning to open an exhibition and events about the disaster rehabilitation in Durban, Ito gave a lecture at Japanese seminar talking about his motive to start a project named “Homes-for-All.” “I wanted to provide the survivors who have been forced to live in inconvenient temporary houses with comfortable spaces,” said Ito. Together with four other famous architects; Riken Yamamoto, Hiroshi Naito, Kengo Kuma and Kazuyo Sejima, he started with one in Miyagino-ku, Sendai City that was completed in October 2011 and 11 others are in use to date. Four projects are now under development, he said.

After three years passed since the first home opened, Ito is now preparing for a launch of a non-profit organization to support operation of the Home-for Alls. “As some people are leaving from public temporary housing, new challenges have surfaced on changing circumstances.”

At a keynote speech in Durban, Ito introduced concepts of his latest works both in Japan and outside such as a public library in Gifu Prefecture named “Minna-no-mori Gifu Media Cosmos” and Taichung Metropolitan Opera House in Taiwan. “I was pleased to feel sympathy of the audience from various countries including Africa, Europe and Asia” said the architect.

Asked by the audience about sociality of architects after his speech, Ito answered “architects are hardly well-received or advanced in Japanese society as much as the international community thinks.” “Japanese architects are not conscious enough with sociability. They are not as well-involved with the society as other occupations.” He thinks it is getting more important that the state of Japanese architects should reach the level that overseas society describe them. (2014/08/22)