The Forum Lecture series, organized through Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, introduces students, faculty and the Ottawa community to a host of leading practitioners and architectural critics. Through the generous support of local sponsors, the series is free and open to the public, and invites the city to engage in emerging ideas and celebrate the architectural profession. Upcoming Forum Lectures are taking place on January 23rd, February 6th and March 20th, 2017.
Chmiel Architects was proud to sponsor one of this year’s lectures – which took place on October 31st, 2016 at Library and Archives Canada. Akinori Yoshimura from D.I.G. Architects, based out of Nagoya, Japan, presented “From the Material to the Town,” a topic that addressed similarities in his current work to the traditional Japanese house, and its link to the landscape and immediate surroundings.
Akinori Yoshimura and Maki Yoshimura established D.I.G. Architects in 2005. D.I.G. begins each project by finding subtle characteristic elements from the site or urban context. As the partners explain, “The initial trigger doesn’t have to be something big. The most exciting part of the design, we think, exists in the moment that the subtle uniqueness turns into drastic form of the space.” An emphasis on exploring folded geometries or faceted planes has resulted in radical statements on domestic architecture, including their award-winning K House and M House. At every scale, D.I.G. seeks to discover “accidental spaces,” accentuating people’s experiences inside the places they live and work.
Photo “an evening of architecture” from left to right: Takashi Futagi, Director of Information and Culture from the Embassy of Japan; Richard Chmiel of Chmiel Architects; Mr. Kenjiro Monji, the Ambassador of Japan; Serge Belet the Senior Exhibitions Manager from the National Gallery of Canada; Mrs. Etsuko Monji; Akinori Yoshimura of D.I.G. Architects; Corrie Hobin and Inderbier Riar, both of the Carleton University Faculty of Architecture.