Architect Sou Fujimoto on the ‘concept of the forest’
This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
A forest is greater than an out of doors house crammed with timber: it’s a mannequin for a way we are able to stay our lives and create structure for the long run. Rising up in northern Japan, I spent my childhood days enjoying within the forest. It was a spot of intimacy, with many various areas but nothing divided, the whole lot softly interconnected. As we transfer into 2025, I see the forest as a mannequin for structure and society. It reveals us how distinct identities can thrive in range whereas nonetheless being related – and the way concord between people and nature may be rediscovered.
Right now feels just like the daybreak of a brand new fashionable age. It’s a time of profound change – and alter all the time sparks new concepts, ideas, designs. Our values are shifting, societies are evolving and this second in historical past feels much like the beginning of the Twentieth-century fashionable age, when new concepts deeply formed how we went on to stay and assume.
Fujimoto, photographed at artwork gallery Tempo Tokyo, which he designed in 2024
(Picture credit score: Akira Yamada)
Sou Fujimoto on 2024 and what’s coming in 2025
Now, after greater than 100 years, many “fashionable” mindsets and “fashionable” ideas are irrelevant. The COVID pandemic made us realise how outdated a lot of it’s. We now have new conditions, factors of view and inquiries to reply: about sustainability, range, biotechnology, AI, over-connection and nature. The 12 months forward is prone to be an thrilling time, significantly for youthful generations excited about the world round them. I see inventive revolutions throughout each class – structure, artwork, music. My hope is that the younger designers of tomorrow shall be courageous and trustworthy sufficient to proceed driving this alteration ahead.
For me, 2025 is all concerning the Osaka Expo, which opens in April. I’ve been working intensively on this for the previous 5 years, creating a big timber ring construction. It’s a very international occasion, a beautiful integration of various pavilion designs and worldwide actions. Many international locations – together with Japan – try to discover future structure based mostly on sustainability. There are numerous wood buildings and I sense an actual push the world over to create extra sustainable structure. I’ve observed, from month-to-month visits to my Paris workplace, that within the final 10 years, there was a robust international shift in the direction of wood building, pure supplies or reusing and recycling. This has turn into much more energetic because the pandemic.
Home of Music in Hungary by Sou Fujimoto
(Picture credit score: Palkó György)
Now, the Osaka Expo units the stage for realising the most recent and most modern trials into wood building. One can marvel: ‘What does sustainability appear to be within the present local weather?’ As a Japanese architect, it’s fascinating for me to consider this, as a result of Japan is sort of far behind globally by way of sustainability. The Expo is a good alternative for Japanese society to assume extra deeply about sustainability in a world context. After we revealed our proposal, many Japanese didn’t perceive the wood ring we designed for the Expo.
For a lot of, wood building is for personal houses, temples or shrines – it’s not regarded as a showcase for the most recent constructing expertise. However not too long ago, the ring has been extensively printed similtaneously different large-scale wood constructions are additionally being observed – and I really feel that Japanese persons are beginning to perceive our imaginative and prescient. It is all about opening folks’s minds to the totally different prospects of wood building – and hopefully, this shall be emphasised via different buildings such because the Italian Pavilion and Czech Pavilion.
Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné, Dimitri Roussel and OXO architectes collaborate on L’Arbre Blanc, a vibrant, white, sculptural residential scheme in Montpellier, France.
(Picture credit score: SFA+NLA+OXO+DR)
In some ways, Japan is behind international requirements. However we now have good high quality of design and structure; plus, society could be very effectively organised. We even have a practice of residing along with nature, an vital facet of Japanese life. We have to push this to the world, as for greater than 1,000 years, we now have been residing with nature in Japan. Day by day life and philosophies have developed in concord with nature. We see this within the conventional Japanese home, with its sliding paper partitions and blurred boundaries. The structure itself could be very mild: the backyard and surrounding nature are the principle focal factors of a house. The constructed construction is a part of a wider residing setting and nature. So how can we combine nature additional into design? It’s not nearly bringing greenery onto buildings – that is all the time good, nevertheless it goes past that.
The vital level about nature is that we can not management it. Within the Twentieth century, humanity got down to management the whole lot – we discovered this wasn’t potential. Earth is greater than us. It has dynamism, energy, range of animals and vegetation, and delightful ecosystems. This second in human historical past is a chance to open our minds – and generally be uncovered to the uncontrollable. This isn’t a damaging state as a result of the uncontrollable is unpredictable, bringing inspirational surprises. After all, generally we have to management nature, however we now have to discover a higher steadiness between having fun with it, embracing its shocking elements and residing in concord with it.
Sou Fujimoto’s 2014 Serpentine Pavilion in London
(Picture credit score: Iwan Baan)
The pandemic is the right instance. Till the final century, we developed and constructed a really environment friendly system for society – this was vital however possibly too controlling. It had a massively damaging impression on nature, Earth – and humankind. We will see this in our buildings. We’ve got tried to make buildings as purposeful as potential – however in the event you make them too purposeful, it limits folks’s minds and finally their lives. Human life is like nature: it’s versatile and ambiguous. If people strive too arduous to manage the whole lot, they create damaging strain – we’d like house for freedom.
Having spent a variety of time in Paris, I love European international locations – there, society is predicated on the concept of particular person freedom. In Japan in fact we now have this – however the concept of concord in society can also be crucial, so folks typically repress their private freedom and comply with societal consensus. This may be each constructive and damaging.
Fujimoto’s Shiroiya Resort, 2020
(Picture credit score: TBC)
Japan is changing into extra various – however the financial system just isn’t in an excellent state and Japanese society sadly tends to turn into extra conservative when this occurs. Having mentioned that, there are nonetheless many visionary people – lots of my shoppers, for instance, are founders of corporations making an attempt to do one thing totally different and extra appropriate for the long run and the Earth. I’m concerned with how we are able to mix the concepts of “range” and “unity”. We have to improve range – however keep away from folks being divided and clustered towards each other. We should always assist create a way of unity, with interactive relationships between totally different factors of view and attitudes.
That is mentioned within the masterplan on the Osaka Expo. That is extraordinarily vital in mild of a really divided and sophisticated international state of affairs. As people, we have to be beneficiant – and settle for totally different values and viewpoints and the truth that persons are uncontrollable, similar to nature. In any other case, we are going to by no means end preventing each other. The primary quarter of this century has witnessed enormous revolutionary modifications – not simply bodily, within the type of fantastic design merchandise, but in addition conceptual. Now, folks perceive the significance of public areas – locations for gathering. We have to decelerate.
Home N by Sou Fujimoto, not too long ago seen on the Vitra Design Museum present on photographer Iwan Baan’s work
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Iwan Baan and Vitra Design Museum)
One approach to discover this dynamic is thru supplies. Over the subsequent 50 years, biotechnology – which hovers someplace between nature and artefacts – will turn into more and more vital in structure. Architectural revolutions have all the time gone hand-in-hand with supplies. Fashionable structure was established on metal, concrete and large-sized glass. Now, wood building is coming again. This marks the beginning of a brand new part. And biotechnology shall be subsequent. Can we use supplies which have therapeutic qualities, and that may self-renew?
The thought of localised design can also be changing into extra vital. Since final 12 months, I’ve been on the advisory board for the Serpentine Pavilion’s collection of architects. Their international analysis into what is going on world wide is fascinating. It’s thrilling to see so many architectural trials underway, based mostly on totally different cultures, conventional supplies and local weather conditions. Youthful generations appear pleased with their international locations and cultures and are more and more making an attempt to develop distinctive solutions for the long run. It is localised however common.
Fujimoto’s short-term corridor for the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine options ‘floating forest’
(Picture credit score: Dazaifu Tenmangu)
One area that many shall be watching in 2025 – not just for its political developments however by way of inventive development – is the Center East. We’ve got a number of initiatives underway in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. The area appears to be passionately energetic in creating structure and design, with many international architects concerned. Nobody is aware of how this can unfold, nevertheless it’s an thrilling time, it appears like a spot the place the boundaries are being pushed in surprising instructions.
I’m curious and optimistic about modifications introduced by AI expertise within the inventive industries. In our studio, AI makes us have a look at what we’re doing – it’s like a reflective mirror, producing drawings and pictures which pose the query to ourselves: ‘Is that this Fujimoto?’ We perceive this will likely or might not be a part of our creations – what’s most vital is the dialogue it prompts. It’s via conversations that I discover new concepts or new meanings to present concepts. I really feel this expertise can stimulate creativity. Nevertheless, many concepts originate from the human type. This bodily physique expertise displays our considering and philosophies. For now, AI doesn’t have a physique – so I’m curious, in the event that they receive information and information concerning the physique, can they give it some thought like people? Both means, I’m optimistic – as a result of if totally different concepts and views emerge, this may be inspiring and fascinating for us.
Tempo Tokyo by Sou Fujimoto
(Picture credit score: Nacasa & Companions)
Lastly, how does one join all these concepts, ideas and locations collectively? For me, it comes again to the forest. This concept of a conceptual forest may be an architectural mannequin for the long run. It’s well timed and timeless – and because the world continues to vary and shock us, I hope that youthful generations can perceive the great thing about making an attempt to create a world the place there’s concord between range and unity, people and nature – similar to a forest.
