Tokyo City View "Hethewick Studio: Empathetic Architecture"

Founded in London in 1994, Heatherwick Studios is one of the world's most sought-after design groups today, working on innovative projects around the world, including New York, Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Founder Thomas Hethewick (b. 1970, UK) says that as a child, he was excited by the soul of small things made by artisans. Is it possible to put that soul into a large building or space called architecture? This question was the starting point for Heatherwick Studio's design. All designs capture natural energy and architectural memories, while also based on the belief that large-scale projects such as urban planning are based on the human scale. At the root of this may be the desire to create spaces where people gather, interact, and have fun, rather than the hardware design of products and buildings. While learning about the history of objects and places, researching diverse materials, and respecting traditional manufacturing techniques, the spaces created using the latest engineering are full of innovative ideas that no one has thought of. As we rethink our relationship with cities and the natural environment in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Heatherwick Studio's designs will provide richer suggestions than ever before for the times to come.

This is the first exhibition in Japan to present 28 major Heatherwick Studios projects in a great space in the sky. Through trial and error, their work to realize new ideas is composed of six perspectives: "uniting," "connecting with everyone," "experiencing sculptural space," "feeling nature in urban space," "connecting memories to the future," and "playing and using," and explores what kind of architecture brings kindness, beauty, intellectual excitement, and empathy that moves human hearts.