Design
Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects
Collaborative Design
Kanada Mitsuhiro, Toki Kenji, Tokyo University of the Arts, Miyagi University
Structural Design
ARUP
Production
Catalyst Inc., Go Shizen Kobo, studio archē
Landscape Design
VNH + ANPARK
Coordination
Rishiyagi
Collaborators
Asahi Building-Wall Co.,Ltd., Teijin Limited, Tsutsumi Asakichi Urushi
Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects Ito Toyo
Born in 1941 in Seoul, Ito Toyo studied architecture at the University of Tokyo. After working at Kikutake Kiyonori Architects, he founded Urban Robot in 1971, which later became Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects. With work that spans the globe, Ito Toyo has been at the forefront of exploring new architectural possibilities, realizing projects that offer spaces that are both innovative and comfortable. With Re:Folly’s theme of circularity, Ito reflected on traditional techniques through the lens of his childhood experiences, where items were repaired rather than discarded when broken. Although traditional materials like urushi are now rare and expensive, they were once common in everyday life. The decision to use urushi, a natural adhesive and antimicrobial paint that has long been used in Buddhist statues, lacquerware, and architectural finishes, came from this inspiration. Urushi Shell is the world’s first architectural project to employ urushi as a structural material. Through Urushi Shell, Ito reassesses the value of natural materials, promotes the nurturing of forests, and catalyzes change in consumption patterns that move us toward a circular, upcycled economy.
Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects Chen Qin Ye
Chen Qin Ye, a Canadian architectural designer educated in the U.S., is currently based in Tokyo and works at Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects. Her career has been shaped by international experiences and engagement with the public nature of the built environment, architectural history, and cultural identity. Chen’s work and research are dedicated to understanding how architecture, while preserving and interpreting historical and cultural narratives, can reflect and enhance community interactions. In Urushi Shell, Chen worked under the mentorship of Ito Toyo. Her contributions spanned the overall design and development of the shell structure: from concept to detailed unit design. Her responsibilities also involved coordinating with urushi specialists and studying material performance as well as communication with the Korean team of curators and coordinators. Working on Urushi Shell was an enriching experience that reinforced her commitment to environmentally conscious architecture. The project, using natural materials to redefine architectural spaces, challenged her to explore the potential of traditional craftsmanship in addressing contemporary issues. For Chen, Urushi Shell stands as a testament to how architectural innovation can honor tradition while opening new possibilities for connecting people with their built environment.
Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects Takatsuka Nobuaki
Takatsuka Nobuaki joined Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects in 2011, a year marked by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The disaster wiped out long-established community relationships alongside the towns themselves. In response, Ito Toyo launched the Home For All initiative, which fostered the creation of new social and spatial relationships. Takatsuka recognized that driving and responding to change is crucial in architecture and he continues to focus on designing for change. For Urushi Shell, he worked under Ito Toyo’s guidance on concept proposals and unit design. He was also involved in research aimed to enhance the weather resistance and fire retardancy of urushi in architectural use, successfully adding the latter property which was heretofore absent in urushi. His work in Urushi Shell sought to broaden the material potential of urushi by integrating traditional techniques with modern technology and exploring new architectural expressions. The project sought to redefine the value of urushi in architecture, potentially boost its production, and promote a positive cycle within the forestry industry. Takatsuka hopes the project will not only advance architectural innovation but also establish new connections between people and the natural environment.
Miyagi University Toki Kenji
Based in Japan, Toki Kenji has been working as a contemporary craft practitioner exploring the representation of urushi. He is a professor at Miyagi University and has been exhibiting internationally since 1995. He studies digital fabrication and how its different techniques, particularly in relation to urushi work, can be utilized in craft, art, jewelry, and furniture. For Urushi Shell, Toki was responsible for developing and improving Kanshitsu, the dry-lacquer modeling of paper, hemp, earth and urushi, into its architectural structure. His completely new innovations of the Kanshitsu method have brought about high production efficiency and material consistency unimaginable with conventional techniques. He believes the enhancement of traditional craft by modern engineering experimentation and digital design, thus making it available for architecture, is a historic event. Despite this strong interest in digital creativity, with huge possibilities and capacities as a form-finding method, Toki will never walk away from craft. He cannot leave craft behind. That is because craftsmanship, as it certainly exists in craft, does so in digital creativity. (https://kenjitoki.com)
Miyagi University Students: Terui Mamiya, Tsuruta Shino, Honda Ryoka, Hirayama Shogo and Yamaguchi Mana
Miyagi University, where Toki Kenji teaches, has adopted a unique curriculum that incorporates business project design methods alongside traditional design education. Students in Professor Toki’s lab explore the possibilities of urushi in the post-craft age, exploring digital design and digital fabrication technologies while also learning traditional techniques. As they were working on their own research, students were also responsible for producing the first prototypes of Urushi Shell, a very important component of this project. It was their first experience of producing large quantities of material in a stable way, and the production process was extremely difficult. In the end, they were able to complete the project by applying knowledge gained from their own research into the production process of Urushi Shell.
Sato Kazuya
Sato Kazuya is a young urushi artisan based in the Tohoku region where urushi is produced. While he inherited traditional craft techniques from his father, he is a new breed of artisan eagerly seeking connections with cutting-edge technology. Over the past 10 years, Sato has worked with Toki on various technological developments. With Urushi Shell, he was the leader of a team of artisans working in the region and was responsible for the Kanshitsu production. Though trial and error was inevitable in developing Toki’s method into a realistic production process, the results have boosted their hopes for new markets. In Japan, artisans in the urushi industry, on the one hand, are in a difficult economic situation. On the other hand, in response to the changing times, more and more artisans are setting up their own businesses without being bound by the practices and conventions of the traditional industry. Sato is one in a generation of young artisans who are embracing the challenges of new disciplines and technologies.
Tokyo University of the Arts Kanada Mitsuhiro
Kanada Mitsuhiro is a structural engineer and professor at the Department of Architecture, Tokyo University of the Arts. He studied architectural design and structural engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. After completing graduate school, he joined the engineering consulting firm ARUP where he began design work in London and Tokyo. His works include Renzo Piano’s Maison Hermès and Ito Toyo’s National Taichung Theater. He has received numerous awards, such as the 12th Matsui Gengo Special Award and the 44th BCS Prize. Constantly exploring the possibilities of interdisciplinary technology transfer and Japan-first design technology, this spirit is manifested in his work for Urushi Shell. Urushi Shell is the fruition of a decade-long collaboration with Toki Kenji, developing modern kanshitsu as the basis of furniture and architecture.
Tokyo University of the Arts Kanada Mitsuhiro Laboratory
Kanada Mitsuhiro Laboratory is a structural design laboratory at the Department of Architecture, Tokyo University of the Arts. Sekita Jutaro and Fang Sitao (M2), and Itokazu Mio, Nagahama Sota, and Hosoda Kota (M1) participated in Urushi Shell, studying its materials and details and making mock-up panels.
studio archē Kai Takahiro
Kai Takahiro is an architect and craftsman. He is the founder of studio archē and a research associate at the Department of Architecture, Tokyo University of the Arts. He designs and produces works across different fields and scales, as diverse as cutlery, furniture, sculpture, installation, and architecture. For Urushi Shell, Kai’s main role was the design and production of its first prototype and the wooden arches that define the openings of Urushi Shell.
Rishiyagi
Founded in 2007 and specializing in space marketing, Rishiyagi has extensive experience in architecturerelated exhibitions, serving as the general contractor for the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism for four consecutive events in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023. For Re:Folly, Director Richard Yang, Executive Director Collin Shin, Administrative Manager Bora Son, Senior Manager Lucy Kim, Technician James Kim, and Project Manager Andrea Jung oversaw the implementation of Urushi Shell. Urushi Shell was a complex and demanding project that required coordination between Ito Toyo’s architecture, Toki Kenji’s urushi craftsmanship, and Kanada Mitsuhiro’s shell structure design. Rishiyagi’s diverse experience in architectural projects was crucial in navigating the challenges of this intricate project. As they worked on blending craftsmanship with architecture, the company also gained valuable growth in the field of interior architecture. Though Urushi Shell faced constraints in time, budget, and space, Rishiyagi collaborated closely with the Japanese team, discussing and testing new solutions almost every week to fully realize the artisans’ dedication, craftsmanship, and toptier architecture. To complete the final product, all team members learned lacquer techniques and personally transported the delicate and expensive lacquer panels back and forth from Japan. Much like the intense summer heat of 2024, Rishiyagi’s efforts took on a burning passion.