Architecture competition "Kemeri National Park Observation Tower" Honorable mention - FT Architects

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winners of one of our Honorable mentions for the “Kemeri National Park Observation Tower” competition - Katsuya Fukushima, Hiroko Tominaga Benjamin and Sykes Thompson from Japan!

Katsuya Fukushima, Hiroko Tominaga Benjamin and Sykes Thompson from Japan

FT Architects was founded in 2003 by Katsuya Fukushima and Hiroko Tominaga. The office is based in Tokyo. At FT Architects, we are interested in things that have contradicting dualities, such as engi-neering and aesthetics.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For individuals have been involved?

FT Architects have worked on a diverse scale of projects. From public buildings such as ‘Warehouse of Time’, where we worked on a renovation project of a 120 year-old brick warehouse, to sports facilities, such as ‘ Timber Structure I and II’, where we created 2 different timber structures for about the same size. Timber Structure has been one of our strengths, so we also worked on a dwelling project ‘4 columns’ and a larger hanging structure ‘C Office.’

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

Architecture is a prophecy to the future. The role of an architect is to create the culture of the society.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

We were interested in the unique site situation and program. We believed it was a chance to create new culture by design for this project. 

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

Architectural competitions are a sort of a sports game. We start to lose the sense of the game unless we participate in competitions constantly. That is why we should participate in architectural competitions.