House in Kaizuka

Photos courtesy of AN Architects
 
Although being recognized as one of the most influential architects in the world, Tadao Ando has a reputation of not being a very helpful mentor when it comes to pushing the careers of his former staffs.

Hiroshi Araki and Koji Nagasawa both had worked at Tadao Ando’s office for nearly 10 years. Knowing how the staffs used to be treated there (the staffs were slaves and Ando’s dog named after Le Corbusier was the master), it’s probably more appropriate to say that the two have “SURVIVED.” In 2005 Araki and Nagasawa established a firm called AN Architects in Osaka. You can see some of their work on their website including the renovation of a 100-year-old Japanese row house shown here. It’s a unique and beautiful renovation. The best part is…there’s nothing that reminds us of Tadao Ando’s work.

^Where: Kaizuka, Osaka   ^When: 2008 (completion)   ^How: Renovation of a 100-year old wood-frame house   ^{Site Area:} 2368 square feet (220m²)   ^{Construction Area:} 861 square feet (80m²) ^{Total Floor Area:} 861 square feet (80m²)   ^Tag(s): Renovation