A+u #599

Most conventional collections of Isozaki’s works discuss architecture as a concept, and contain reductive or simplified diagrams consisting of silkscreen or ink drawings. In order to try and offer a critique of Isozaki in terms of the physical aspects of architecture, on the other hand, this publication focuses on working drawings that have not been previously published. Fortunately, Arata Isozaki & Associates has conserved not only sketches and design drawings, but also many of the original working drawings, and was able to provide us with many valuable resources.

We invited Jun Aoki and Taira Nishizawa to serve as editorial supervisors and to conduct the interview, based on their reading and understanding of these drawings. The interview, which was conducted in Okinawa and Karuizawa and spanned more than 10 hours, was a discussion of the 1970s, the background and context behind four of Isozaki’s projects, and the respective trials and tribulations behind each of them.