Constructing Tomorrow: A Look Ahead at Innovations and Advancements
In the heart of Hollywood, Los Angeles, an innovative project is showcasing Japanese art, design, and technology. Known as our website Los Angeles, this hub is a collaboration between the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and three global cities: London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo.
One of the highlights of this project is an upcoming event titled "Design of the Future." This conversation will be led by three renowned professionals, each engaging with the design of the future by collapsing the boundary between present and future.
Sou Fujimoto, a Japanese architect known for his work in small spaces and his awards such as the Japan Institute of Architects Grand Prix and the Golden Lion award, approaches the future through an architectural language inspired by natural systems like forests. His designs, such as the Grand Ring at Expo 2025 Osaka, embody a fusion of tradition and innovation, using Japanese carpentry techniques to create large, circular wooden structures symbolizing unity and sustainability. Fujimoto’s work emphasizes a "primordial future forest," a concept where seemingly chaotic natural forms inform architectural spaces that are layered, adaptable, and permeable, blurring boundaries between indoor/outdoor and private/public realms.
Another speaker is Peter Frankfurt, the Executive Creative Director and Managing Partner of Imaginary Forces, an award-winning creative studio. While specific details about his approach to designing the future in this context are not readily available, Frankfurt has co-founded Imaginary Forces in 1996 and has been featured in numerous publications.
Liam Young, a speculative architect and cofounder of Tomorrows Thoughts Today and Unknown Fields, completes the trio of speakers. Acclaimed in both mainstream and architectural media, Young's work has been collected by institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Hitoshi Abe, a Professor in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design and Director of the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies at UCLA, is also part of the event. Abe is Principal at AHA (Atelier Hitoshi design), an architectural design firm based in the U.S. and Japan.
Regrettably, registration for this intriguing event has already closed. However, the collective wisdom and visions of these three professionals promise a thought-provoking discussion on the design of the future.
SCI-Arc, the Southern California Institute of Architecture, serves as a centre of innovation and one of the nation's few independent architecture schools. Founded in 1972 in Santa Monica, originally called the New School, SCI-Arc was based on the concept of a "college without walls" and remains one of the few independent architecture schools in the world.
[1] https://www.soufujimoto.jp/en/works/expo-2025-osaka-grand-ring/ [2] https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/18/sou-fujimoto-architects-forest-of-architecture-osaka-expo-2025/ [3] https://www.archdaily.com/911844/sou-fujimoto-architects-forest-of-architecture-expo-2025-osaka [4] https://www.soufujimoto.jp/en/works/forest-of-architecture/ [5] https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/the-forest-of-architecture-by-sou-fujimoto-is-a-monumental-vision-of-a-new-kind-of-city/10032054.article
- The innovative project in Hollywood, Los Angeles, is featuring Japanese art, design, and technology, including an upcoming event titled "Design of the Future."
- Sou Fujimoto, a renowned Japanese architect, will be leading a discussion in this event, presenting a fusion of tradition and innovation in his architectural designs.
- Scheduled to speak at the event is Peter Frankfurt, the Executive Creative Director of Imaginary Forces, an award-winning creative studio.
- Liam Young, a speculative architect and co-founder of Tomorrows Thoughts Today and Unknown Fields, is another notable speaker set to attend the "Design of the Future" event.
- The event features Hitoshi Abe, a Professor at UCLA and Principal at AHA (Atelier Hitoshi design), adding an educational perspective to the discussion.
- Despite the event registration being closed, the collective insight of these professionals promises a stimulating exploration of the design of the future, taking place at SCI-Arc, a center of innovation and one of the nation's few independent architecture schools.
