Invited Architect : Yusuke Obuchi / Prof. The University of Tokyo

Workshop
- Theme : “Critical Mass”
- Date : 2010. 11. 6

Lecture
- Theme : “Prof. Yusuke Obuchi, recent works”
- Date : 2010. 11. 6. am10



Professor Yusuke Obuchi is a researcher, designer and educator.

In 2010, Prof. Obuchi was appointed to direct Global 30 Architecture and Urbanism Course at the University of Tokyo, Department of Architecture. He is a former co-director of Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association (AA) in London from 2005 to 2010, and Course Master and Unit Master of Architectural Association from 2003 to 2005.

Prof. Obuchi teaches design studios, workshops and seminar courses where he explores the concepts of materiality, design systems, computational design techniques and fabrication processes in contemporary architecture and design. He studied architecture at Princeton University, Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) and University of Toronto. He has previously been Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky and Adjunct Assistant Professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a partner of Foresites Architecture and Design in London and has previously worked for Reiser-Umemoto in New York and ROTO Architects in Los Angeles. Prof. Obuchi’s projects have been exhibited widely in the U.S. and Europe, and included in the National Triennial Exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City, Architecture Biennial Beijing 2004 &2008, Architecture Biennial Rotterdam, Zurich Design Museum and Barcelona Design Museum.

Critical Mass

In the age of the global network society, where cities all over the world are intricately linked, affect each other, and yet evolve with specific local traditions and politics, it is difficult to predict exactly how future cities would look like even 50 years from today. The rapid technological advancements during the 20th century created an impression that a city can be imagined, planned, produced and controlled through the top-down decision making processes. In 2010, cities we live seem to suggest different images all together; the cities are no longer perceived as linear, repetitive, top-down processes but rather being organised by bottom-up, swarm-like, continuous evolution of life processes. The workshop will explore the conflict between local and global orders exist in the city of Seoul and develop design proposals as projective urban strategies.