ARCHITECTS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Atelier Bow Wow
Atelier Bow Wow
Tokyo, Japan
“Architecture that opens its eyes and strains its ears to this diversity of spatial practice, encouraging and assisting it; this is the rediscovery of architecture itself.
That is where the aims of Atelier Bow-Wow lie.”
Atelier Bow Wow is a Tokyo-based Architecture firm founded by Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kajima in 1992. They are one of the most innovative, original and productive architecture firms of the present day.
At the heart of their work is a deep curiosity in how people occupy space, and how we build relationships with one another through space.
Their investigations lead them across scales - from the ephemeral communal bicycle dining experience to an analysis of the typologies and changes of the vast urban fabric of Tokyo city.
Perhaps because of the breadth of their work, and the depth and intensity of their investigations across scales, it’s difficult to pinpoint what they are best known for.
DRAWINGS
Aesthetically, it's difficult to go past Atelier Bow Wow's drawings.
They are produced with super-precise lines which include and value the occupancy - people, plants, animals, books and bikes - alongside more typical architectural elements like structural beams and window joinery.
Plans, sections, and perspective images are meticulously considered, composed and detailed. These drawings are beautiful, precise, and fun - and if you're like me you can't help but want to sit down and create one of your own.
URBAN ANALYSIS & THEORY
Atelier Bow Wow are acutely aware of the changes in the urban fabric, and how these changes relate to society and our way of life.
There is a real rigour to their engagement with the city and the problems of urbanisation, but at the same time they aren’t afraid to have a little fun, to add a distinctive sense of amusement, or to provide surprising ways to respond to the situations.
They have undertaken a vast amount of analysis of their home country, Japan, resulting in the development of numerous urban theories. How they characterise these theories is also unique - often a quirky title, which becomes a metaphor and informs the structure of their thinking about the idea. This makes their thinking very accessible.
Atelier Bow Wow's work on urban theory includes:
Pet Architecture
A study of urban Micro Projects that slip in between and around the existing urban fabric.Behaviourology
An understanding of how environmental conditions affect the 'behaviour' of spaces.Da-me Architecture
A re-evaluation of 'No-good architecture' - the undesigned, everyday, and often quick responses to urban problems.
I recommend picking up one of their books and browsing - the language is light, and you can often get a sense of their intentions without reading cover to cover!
HOUSES
Where all this thinking comes together is in their built projects - and most often, in their houses. You can see a lineage of their projects on their website here.
These projects are often hybrids typologies, work-live studios or homes shared between generations. They are often slotted into urban lots, using a layering or winding of overlapped spaces to utilise the vertical proportions. Sometimes, they are afforded the opportunity to look at a project in a more open area, and in these projects, the ground and roof planes often become important.
Throughout all of the projects, ideas of multi-use places, space to be together or to curl up alone, and the framing of views are key to the design. Their houses are stages for life.
