Kouunji Kyakuden Reception Hall of Temple 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 needed for the client's situation? What is needed for the environment? What should we do now in the context of history? I believe that it is important to make the right judgments about the situation.

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

HI : In this project, I focused on finding fragments of the topography, landscape, historical context and background, and local people's memories, and integrating them into a clear architecture that would create a presence within the historical context.

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

HI : The main hall was completed in recent years, so I think it is necessary to consider future facilities along with the other facilities.

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

HI : It took me about 4 years to design this concept. However, I spent more time on the process due to local restrictions than on the design.

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

HI : This design was based on a concept I discovered through research into the history, landscape, and community of the area.

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 or interiors are not mass-produced products, but are unique and original.

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

HI : When I embarked on this project, I believed this design was exactly what the area and its future needed.

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

HI : I didn’t approach any specific designs or designers. I derived the design I needed from the environment, history and people’s memories.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

HI : This project is a facility for the temple, its parishioners, and everyone who has been involved in the community for many years, from the past to the future.

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

HI : What makes this project different from typical temples is that it is not bound by the style and construction methods of traditional Japanese Buddhist architecture, but instead creates an essential function and a new presence in the history of the region.

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

HI : ”Kouunji Temple" was given the name "Banshozan Kouunji" by the head temple of the Soto sect at the time of its founding due to the impressive scenic view of clouds floating over the pine forest that spreads across the hills beside the large river. "Kyakuden" is the name of the facility that functions as a reception hall among various Buddhist facilities.

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 mockups.

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

HI : Rather than special shapes or colors, I like to collect various elements from environmental and historical research, and integrate them into architecture that can be passed on to the next generation.

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

HI : For this project, we received cooperation from a judicial scrivener for administrative procedures, a design firm specializing in wooden construction and regional ancillary facilities, and a master carpenter for traditional Japanese wooden joint techniques.

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 : The purpose of the research was to understand the local situation. It was not a way to obtain quantitative data, but to find out the local history, environment, and potential needs and important elements of the people. Based on the results, I decided to integrate these improvements and elements that can be passed on to the next generation into the architecture.

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

HI : There were many challenges in realizing the project, such as constructing the building on soft ground on a hill by the river, how to reuse materials from the old facility in the new facility, how to resolve local legal restrictions, and how to pass on the community's emotional memories to future generations through architecture. Ultimately, the most important challenge was how to integrate such complex and diverse elements into a clear design.

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

HI : I was interested in how my design, which has been in useful many years since its completion, would be evaluated internationally, and I was confident, so I entered the competition as a source of pride for the temple, the local residents, and everyone involved in the project.

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

HI : Through this project, I found important hints not only through dialogue with the client, but also from a broader perspective, by researching the environment and history. I once again realized the importance of sincerely addressing each piece of the problem, making improvements and refinements, focusing on the essential elements, and designing clearly.