2017.04.25
On March 5, 2017, Shohei Matsukawa Lab's "ARKHITEKTOME: Growing Architecture Like a Plant" won the Grand Prix and the Koji Ichikawa Prize at the Project Exhibition of the TOKYO ARCHITECTURE COLLECTION 2017. In addition, as a Special Jury Prize, Hiroto Kobayashi Lab's "Veneer House Project: Veneer House Kumamoto (VHK)" won the Hitoshi Kinoshita Prize, and the same lab's "Modular Furniture House: A Furniture Module House as Self-Assembled Architecture" was also selected, demonstrating the remarkable success of SFC labs. The TOKYO ARCHITECTURE COLLECTION was launched in 2007. It is a nationwide exhibition featuring master's theses and design projects by master's students from across Japan, with the aim of "creating a forum for cross-disciplinary discussions in architecture based on the research of master's students, and disseminating the results not only to the architectural industry but also to the general public."
Comment from Shohei Matsukawa, Associate Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
It has been exactly five years since I started my lab, and at this milestone, I am very honored that the projects we have gradually built up in the Matsukawa Lab have been recognized externally. Every year, I struggle with how to integrate the individual interests of students with the overall projects of the lab, but I heard that this integration was highly praised during the judging process, which is a great encouragement for the future management of the lab. We will continue to explore the computational (im)possibilities of architecture with all members of the lab.
Comment from Hiroto Kobayashi, Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance
For the past five years, I have been working on the challenge of how to change the way we build architecture to make buildings and cities feel more personal. The Veneer House was developed with the idea that if there was a system allowing people to build on their own using their own bodies, they could create their own spaces without needing construction professionals. I am delighted that our work, which has been a central pillar of our lab's research activities, has been recognized by an external organization. We will continue to explore ways of building architecture that are close to people.