Articles — Architecture

Last month OOKKUU had the privilege to hold an interview with renowned University of Tokyo professor and Doctor of Engineering, Professor Shuichi Matsumura. With Professor Matsumura’s in-depth knowledge and eloquent narrative, we enjoyed learning about Japan’s unique history of Mono-zukuri (the art of making things) and Ba-zukuri (the art of making places). We hope you enjoy the dialogue and intriguing tales of how Japan developed its exceptional quality and precision in regard to the products they deliver. In this installment, we will focus on the first topic of “How Japan excels in the art of making things.” ___________________________________________ How Japan...

Editor's note: Up until now the focus of this blog has been on exploring aspects of OOKKUU's products, such as their construction, history, and use, but that is hardly the full extent of what we wish to accomplish here. Our overarching goal in running this blog is to prompt thought and conversation on the purpose and various roles of design in our world. We believe such context can help create a deeper understanding of the quality present in the pieces we carry. With this goal in mind, we reached out to William Budge and Nicole Löbart, both of whom are established...

Kuma the Architect- Many believe that Kengo Kuma is a Pritzker Prize winning architect to be. His role as the designer of the new 2020 Tokyo Olympics stadium is sure to push this already world-renowned architect and University of Tokyo professor even further into the limelight. Kuma's stadium design makes prevalent use of wood and greenery, yet it captures the zeitgeist of today just as Hadid's avant-garde design did, just in a different way. ((Above) Sunny Hills Dessert Shop in Tokyo. Credit: Tokyobling) One interesting aspect of Kuma as an architect is that while he is known now for his personal style and design philosophy, his...

What image comes to mind when one hears the word Zen? Perhaps a rock garden or a meditating monk? At first, Zen may seem like something distant and separate from our daily lives, but as we learn from the influential book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, that is not the case. To the author Pirsig, Zen, a state of peace and insight sought after in Buddhism, can be achieved with regards to any pursuit, but only when one is attuned to the experience and committed to quality work. An understanding of what constitutes “quality...

Whether for work or play, many of us feel drawn to the city. In fact, according to the United Nation’s World Urbanization Prospects report released in 2014, 54 percent of the world’s population currently live in an urban area. That’s more than half of the world’s population, and that number is expected to rise to as much as 66 percent by 2050. The United States alone already boasts 8 cities with populations over 5 million, and two megacities, New York and Los Angeles, with over 10 million inhabitants. Each of these cities is also predicted to add at least 1...