Amar Bari Apartment by Hiroaki Iwasa

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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

HI : The principle of my work is to honestly face the situation the project is facing. It is essential for making appropriate judgments about the situation, such as what is necessary for the client's situation, what is necessary for the environment, and what should be done now within the time axis.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

HI : I focus on creating blank spaces with potential for development, I wanted to make it simple and sophisticated.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

HI : I will examine how this architecture helps the lives of individual residents.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

HI : It took about a year to design this concept.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

HI : The client requested the rebuilding of a single apartment for four people. Due to the limited space and budget given by the client, I decided to design this project by focusing on the blank space.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

HI : The architecture and interiors are not mass-produced products, but are unique and original.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

HI : When I started this project, I thought it was necessary for this region and the future.

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

HI : There is no specific design or designer approach. By honestly facing the situation, I came up with the necessary design.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

HI : This design is targeted at single people who are full of ideas.I hope that by having such people living in this area, this area will change and develop with diversity.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

HI : What makes this project different from other apartments is its unique design, which prioritizes free space without cramming too much space into it, and keeps other elements to a minimum. Based on the philosophy of Chisoku.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

HI : AmarBari was named "My House" by a client with ties to Bangladesh in the hope that it would be a better home for the residents.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

HI : During the design process, we went back and forth between CAD and full-size mockups.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

HI : I don't think it's anything special, but I think what's distinctive is that we honestly face the situation of each project and proceed with it carefully.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

HI : We worked with structural and facilities engineers on this project.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

HI : The design technology is orthodox; I used CAD to improve efficiency and carefully considered mock-ups.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

HI : Research is about understanding the local situation. This was not a method of obtaining quantitative data, but rather a method of reading the hidden needs of the region and manifesting them in design.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

HI : In this project, the building was buried semi-underground, but the building was set at a depth where no drainage pumping was required. There were various uncertainties, so making that decision was the biggest challenge.

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

HI : I was curious and confident about how my design would be evaluated internationally, so I applied for the pride of the people involved.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

HI : Through this project, I realized once again the importance of clearly designing by focusing on the essential elements.