Architecture competition "Pape Nature Park Gateway" Student award winner - Waseda University

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winner of the Student award of our “Pape Nature Park Gateway” competition - Kahara Mori from Japan!

Kahara Mori from Japan

I am an architecture graduate student of 23 years old. Graduated from Dept. of Architecture, Waseda University, Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering in March, 2018.

Now, I'm in the 1st year of a Master’s degree at Yoshiaki Akasaka Laboratory, Waseda University.

In architectural and artistic research, I am studying the meaning of shapes, drawing lines, and architecture with its external environment.

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

Architecture is an expression of the world view, and it is the work that generates phenomenal or conceptual message like words. Architecture should be made with comprehensive eyes, however, specialization and division of labor have progressed in modern Japan, regrettably. I would like to be an architect to read messages from everything, integrate all other fields, and create a piece of work like a poetically linked union.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

I enrolled this competition for the following purposes:

・to practice how to output my study and how to express my ideas

・as part of a laboratory curriculum to acquire architectural communication skills

・to acquire worldwide perspective and ability

・Specifically, I am interested in generation of architecture in the place where the primitive environment of the earth remains, such as the horizon of landscapes in Northern Europe. In BUILDNER there are many competitions for such sites.

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

This is my first participation in an international competition. I learned a lot through this experience, not only design itself but also presentation.