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Architects Directory 2009

 

Cell Space Architects

Japan

BIOGRAPHY AND PRACTICE

Mutsue Hayakusa's Cell Space Architects was set up in 1991, following a spell working at Nikken Sekkei, one of the country's architectural mega-practices. Now in her mid 40s, the architect combines practice with teaching at various universities in the Tokyo area. 'I think of architecture as the transformation of the client's demands, ideas and values into forms,' says the architect, explaining how the studio's work is a constant search for solutions that 'achieve a lasting beauty'. Following fashion is not the way forward, she explains, 'my goal is to create architecture that will use mobility and change of form as nature's formative beauty does.'

Organic inspiration influences every aspect of Cell Space's approach, and Hayakusa is keen to stress that the best use of new materials and computer aided design processes is to help 'create forms that are closer to the natural world.' Citing Alvar Aalto as her favourite architect - for the way he integrated architecture with nature - the Cell Space aesthetic is best illustrated by a series of serene woodland villas, threaded through their verdant sites, fully embedded into their environment.

THE HOUSE

The Revolving Walls house is a transformable living space arranged around a main column, about which beds and table can pivot. 'The revolving walls give the building multiple spaces and allow the light levels into the room to be controlled with the seasonal and daily variations.'

THE FUTURE

'My future ambition is to design beautiful building complexes, unified with nature, on a larger scale than the residential level,' Hayakusa says. The studio will continue to draw heavily on the natural world, with environmental performance a central tenet of the design approach.

www.cell-space.com