Challenge
Japan contains one of the highest numbers of internationally significant architects and designers relative to its geographic size in the world. Japanese practitioners regularly implement radical experiments in new materials and building systems that successfully address imminent energy and resource challenges. These technological achievements are combined with an acute awareness of the impermanence of existence, creating a vibrant dialogue between the concrete and the abstract. However, due to language and culture barriers, such strategies remain inscrutable to many non-Japanese architects.
Strategy
To gain a deeper understanding of these approaches, I traveled to the offices of over thirty leading material and design innovators in Japan to find the connections between materiality and transience in their practices. The resulting interviews and project profiles in Matter in the Floating World give firsthand knowledge about the design methods, strategies, and ambitions these designers apply to create groundbreaking work. The conversations also reveal their struggles, surprises, aspirations, and successes—stories that penetrate cultural barriers and become universal in nature.
Impact
Matter in the Floating World received positive attention in several reviews, including The Plain Dealer, Build, Archdaily, Archidose, and The Curated Object. The book’s publication led to invitations to write articles on Japanese architecture for The London Times, the Ax:son Johnson Foundation in Stockholm, and Architect. The project also inspired Blaine to lead study abroad trips to Japan, and he has since taken seven groups of students to visit works featured in the book.
Selected Citations
International Journal of Urban Sciences, Materia Arquitectura, University of Calgary, Australian National University, University of Borås, Seoul National University, ETS Arquitectura, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Selected Reviews
“A favorite... full of personal and professional insight.”— Archidose
“Each conversation delightfully documents the well-crafted projects we’ve all come to expect while insightfully (re-)introducing the reader to the person behind the project.”—Build
“Japanese architects, some trained in the United States, continue to experiment with new home building materials and using familiar materials in new ways. Their thoughts and homes are spotlighted in Matter in the Floating World.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Brownell sought to find how today’s daily inundation of new materials has affected this thoughtful approach. The discussion is carried out with text and stunning photographs that help illustrate his main points.”—ArchDaily
“The work that each of these artists is producing — and their methods in doing so — are complex and technical, but Brownell for the most part pushes them to go beyond statement speak. A generous allotment of carefully chosen and beautifully presented photos furthers our understanding.”—The Curated Object