Kotoaki Asano

Specialized in Design.

Kotoaki Asano

About Kotoaki Asano

KOTOAKI ASANO is an architect, a poet and an artist. He announces the works in many fields. Particularly, the buildings designed by him includes many spaces suggested by poetic sensitivity. Specifically, he's designing small-scale buildings and art works. And, he announced the collection of poems with the architectonic sensitivity.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs

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Interview with Kotoaki Asano

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
Design and art solve the complicated conditions with clear diagrams.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
My studio is a very small office. My atelier designs architecture and artworks.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
It is a house of "Gradation in the forest" which consists of an accumulation of small metamorphosis cubes, designed in the forest.
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
It is a house of "Gradation in the forest".I am inspired by Escher 's picture "Metamorphosis".
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
In terms of architectural design, I emphasize the geometric clarity of plan views in particular.
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
It is a refreshing feeling when my design solves complicated conditions.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
There is a discrepancy between my intention and how it is actually used.That is a very happy miscalculation.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
It is to prepare the background of society.I think that it is to arrange the breathing of society.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
Design is not an addition. The design is to subtract.This becomes increasingly important.
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
Last year I exhibited at the Kameyama Triennale 2017.I would like to participate in some art festival this year as well.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
From observing the principle of natural phenomena, I can draw out hints of my design.
How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
Maintaining the diversity of elements. I will try variations of diversity.
Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
I live in Japan.From Japanese tradition, I am trying to use phenomena like ephemeral in design.
How do you work with companies?
In each case, I will cooperate with external companies as necessary.
What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
Depending on the situation, I think that it is important that you always think about the possibilities of many designs.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
Wait for the core image to come up spending idly time.After that, I draw my sketches by moving my hands, and make that image form.
Can you describe a day in your life?
Yes.It is divided from tomorrow and yesterday, but it is a day of itself today.
Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
Please stop once, thinking that there is nothing to restrict the situation.
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
Negative of being a designer is to be bound to the situation.Positive of being a designer is to be able to overcome the situation.
What skills are most important for a designer?
To fairly compare all possibilities and options.To judge calmly merits and demerits.
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
Actually going to the site.Having a sketchbook, constantly drawing ideas.Drawing drawings on a computer, making models.
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
Schedule conditions are often given by the client.Even so, I will spend time preparing and investigating as much as possible.
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
At least one year.if the project is large and complex, it will take several years.
What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
What were the past works like?Do you have experiences of similar projects?
What was your most important job experience?
House of "Gradation in the forest".Poetry anthology of "Partition in the Window".
What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
Housings and artworks.The smaller the project, the wider the possibilities of design will expand.
What are your future plans? What is next for you?
It is to do bigger projects which contains plenty of poetic details.
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
I treasure my idea as a skeleton very much.Based on that, I will realize it with the team.

Designer of the Day Interview with Kotoaki Asano

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
From 1997 to 2005, I worked at Hiroshi Hara + atelier · Φ.After that, in 2005 I established my own office.
How did you become a designer?
Originally, I wanted to be a scientist. Scientists have to reach the only correct answer.However, I became interested in artistic approaches to numerous solutions.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
I move my hands, draw sketches and decide the design.As much as possible, I emphasize that spatial diagrams clearly emerge.Furthermore, in that diagram, I am orienting something that preserves the diversity of elements.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
I always want to solve many complicated conditions with simple schema.I feel great joy when it is achieved.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Creators must have many poetic images.Poetic images are visual ones, linguistic ones, and physical things.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
I would like to design not only architecture but also spaces with theatrical elements.In other words, I want to embed temporal stories in spaces.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
I think that the materials of the designs are not in my own idea, but between me and the opponent.Furthermore, I think that it is important to actually see more things.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
I think that design is to create empties, margins and blanks.In other words, I think it is important to subtract rather than add.
What is your day to day look like?
I do a lot of practical work everyday.However, somewhere in the day, I emptied my head and cherish the time for ideas to spring.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
First of all, I think it is important to understand firmly the work group called modern architecture classics.The state-of-the-art trends are understood as the distance from that modern classic.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
Especially architecture can not fully design how to use.I think that the design, that is used beyond what I was expecting at the design stage, is a really good design.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
When is the moment to end the design process, it is a really difficult problem.I think that the design process will never end.In reality, I think that the deadline of the contract etc. will finish the design.
What is your biggest design work?
It is a house called "Gradation in the Forest". I got inspiration from Escher 's "Metamorphosis".The theme is the gradual transformation of spaces and the arrangement of cubes of different sizes.I think that a clear answer and an entirely new method were given to the theme of space diversity.
Who is your favourite designer?
I am interested in Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. The interest is still continuing.Besides that, now I am interested in Alvar Aalto and Frank Gehry.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
I currently live in Tokyo.In the city I saw so far, I gained a strong inspiration from the cities such as Hanoi, Naples, Barcelona, Prague, Chicago.The world is never completely internationalized. I think the strong originality of the places will remain.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
I think that it is important to keep calm and gentle emotions in doing works. I think that it is important to keep calm and gentle emotions, in personal relationships and in relationships with people who work together.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
More than anything, architects contribute to society through realized buildings.Next, we need to proactively present the architectural image that will come from now, leading the future image of the city.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
To know objectively the value of my design. Meeting various people through it. To be able to have positive feelings for myself.Today, I think that designers can visualize the invisible will of times and society.

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