Select works of Atushi Kitagawara Architects Inc.

Atushi Kitagawara Architects Inc., Japan

NDT - One of a kind

Kitagawara designed the stage set for “One of a Kind”, a modern ballet in three acts performed world wide in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Jiri Kylian,
world-famous choreographer and artistic director of Netherlands Dance Theatre, was commissioned to produce this commemorative work for the 150th anniversary of the Constitution by the Dutch government and invited Kitagawara to design his stage. The work was presented first at The Hague, and then traveled to Opera Garnier in Paris, Lincoln Center in New York, and other venues. It was highly acclaimed throughout the world and received the Bessie Award in 2000.

Big Palette Fukushima

Completed in 1998 and covering 23 000 square meters, the technologically advanced design of the Big Palette Fukushima features a column-free 

5 500 square meter multi-purpose exhibition hall and a 1 000 square meter international conference hall that can seat up to 1 000 people, along with space for conference rooms and service facilities. 

Named for its iconic roof, the Big Palette Fukushima was created as an oasis reflecting beauty and well-being onto the busy urban environment of Koriyama, Japan. Kitagawara designed the structure to capture the essence of water, “the incubator of all life.” The building represents “a single body of water” that hovers over the Koriyama Basin; it’s a fluid and harmonious shape that enhances and embraces the natural body of water. Atsushi Kitagawara won the Architectural Institute of Japan’s top honor award, Japan’s most prestigious architectural award with this building’s design.

Nakamura Keith Haring Collection Art Museum

This museum and spa complex sits quietly in a lush forest 1 000 meters above sea level at the foot of Mt. Yatsugatake, an ancient active volcano in Kobuchizawa, Japan. When they designed the building, Kitagawara and his team were mindful of the surrounding trees, designing a one-story building to protect them.

The flat roof is crowned by a large curved block with bold red flourishes reminiscent of the energetic and primitive artwork inside. It’s the first museum ever to exclusively showcase the works of the brilliant Keith Haring, a New York City artist who passed away when he was just 31 years old. The rooms track his life and art in a chronological journey, aptly named “Chaos,” “Space of Premonition,” and “Hope.” 

This location receives some of the longest hours of daylight anywhere in Japan, and Kitagawara capitalized on this opportunity. He effectively captured the “Light and Dark” that characterized Haring’s life and work and the 1980s New York art scene that embraced him. After entering the space, one follows the road of darkness into the “Chaos” room. After walking through a blue door, the last room is flooded with light, representing “Hope.

Originally appeared in Modus News 1