New Views:
The Influence of Windows on Architecture and Society

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As we collectively navigate through historically unprecedented times, many interesting opportunities to connect through our shared experiences have been revealed. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles’ exhibition, Windowology, is one such experience, an insightful curatorial endeavor that inspires contemplation and conversation, about an often overlooked element of architecture connecting us with our outside world: windows.

On Monday, December 7, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles presented a webinar discussion featuring Windowology Exhibition Director Igarashi Tarō and L.A.-based architect, Yanai Takashi.

These thought leaders engaged in a discussion touching on a variety of window-related topics ranging from windows in Japanese aesthetics and their influence on global architecture, to the evolution of windows in the workplace and the home, and the future of windows in a post-pandemic world.

Through this conversation, we may uncover universal elements that cross cultures, highlight shared experience and be extremely unifying in a fragmented world.

Monocle magazine’s Tokyo Bureau Chief, Fiona Wilson, moderated the discussion.

*To watch the video in full screen, please click on the image above, then click on the YouTube icon on the lower right-hand corner.
 

Recording Available

The recording can be viewed within this event page or on the official JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles YouTube channel.

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Speaker Profiles

Speaker | Igarashi Tarō, Exhibition Director / Architectural Historian / Critic / General Supervisor of Windowology
Igarashi was born in 1967, in Paris. He graduated from the Tokyo University School of Engineering’s Department of Architecture in 1990. He completed his Master’s degree at the same university in 1992 and he now holds a Doctorate from the University of Tokyo. He currently serves as a professor at Tohoku University’s graduate school. He was the artistic director for the Aichi Triennale 2013, and the commissioner for the Japan Pavilion at the 11th Venice Biennale. Igarashi received the Newcomer’s Award as part of the 64th Art Prize of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Lear more about Window Research Institute.

Speaker | Yanai Takashi
Yanai Takashi is a Partner at Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects and has been Residential Studio Director since 2004. Takashi is also currently leading EYRC’s San Francisco Studio. Prior to architecture practice, Yanai was a design journalist and editor at GA Houses in Tokyo where his work and travels provided the seeds for his design philosophy. Today his work is rooted in its contemplative relationship to landscape and is a continuation of the California Modernist ethos infused with reinterpretations of traditional Japanese elements.

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In 2017 he was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in recognition of his residential work, which articulates how architecture can “connect man and nature through masterful siting and exceptional craft.” Yanai serves on the SFMOMA Photography Accessions and Architecture + Design Accessions Committees and has also been appointed the Chair of the National AIA Committee on Design for 2021. His professional activities, travels and personal inspirations are well-documented and widely followed (57,000 followers) on his Instagram account @t_yanai. Yanai has a degree in Literature with distinction from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Moderator | Fiona Wilson, Asia Bureau Chief, MONOCLE
Fiona Wilson has been a notable presence and leading figure in design journalism. She spent seven years at Wallpaper magazine prior to becoming Asia Bureau Chief at Monocle magazine in 2010. She resides in Tokyo and has worked on many publications that feature appreciation for and understanding of Japanese design, architecture, culture, food, fashion and current affairs.

Related Exhibition

WINDOWOLOGY | New Architectural Views from Japan
Developed prior to the pandemic but extraordinarily pertinent now, Windowology examines the role of windows as cultural objects and the ways in which they frame our vision and give unique perspectives on the world.

Related Reading

“The World in a Window”
Did you know the English word “window” originally meant “wind eye”? To celebrate the “Windowology” exhibition and feed your own window inspiration, read a new article about the colorful history of windows from around the world. Learn about the unique role of windows in Japanese architecture, their potential for sustainable design, and much more in the full article.

*Japanese names on this event page are written in the traditional Japanese order, with the family name first and personal name last.