Architecture Competition Iceland Lake Myvatn Community House Honorable mention – Ryo Murata, Aiko Kawanishi, Satoshi Yamaguchi and Chenyin Xu

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Iceland Lake Myvatn Community House" competition – Ryo Murata, Aiko Kawanishi, Satoshi Yamaguchi and Chenyin Xu from Japan!

We have worked on a wide range of architectural scales, from a small house with courtyards in a high dense area of Tokyo to a large research facility in university campus, and from spatial detail design to low carbon investigation, with high consciousness to the passive solar design philosophy. Focusing on the inherent principle of hidden shapes and forms in architecture, and exploring ways in which architecture and cities are appropriate to the environment for modern society is the theme that we are following in our laboratory.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society? 


As the importance of "building for a sustainable society" has increased, it is required that architectural designs make use of their potential by reading the characteristics of their local natural environments and history. Therefore, as an architect, we have to capture architecture and the environment in multilateral methods making a balance between design and engineering.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Considering various historical and geographical factors and their relationships with architecture and cities; we are practicing design and research with the objective of clarifying the fundamental mechanisms of an excellent building environment.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions? 


By working on the design of buildings in new areas and on new scales that we have never tried before, we gain new perspectives. It is easier to do something than worry about it.