Kuwasawa Design School

A place to pursue the future of design and nurture those who will design the future.
The first school of design in Japan, Kuwasawa Design School, expanded their facilities with a new building nearby their existing campus.
The plan for the first phase of construction aimed to improve the functionality of the school’s facilities by fully renovating the new building to be operated in conjunction with the older school building.
In the initial construction phase, the project involved a comprehensive renovation, spanning from the ground floor to the fourth floor. The design approach harnessed the building’s distinctive long and symmetrical structure,
and focused on enhancing functionality through universal design principles and an optimized circulation plan.
Across the first three floors, a central common space takes center stage, flanked by function-specific areas such as event spaces and classrooms.
The event space, designed for flexibility and to foster public engagement, is visible from the façade and accessible directly from the entrance, creating a visual and spatial bridge between the school and the exterior. Meanwhile, the common space strategically positioned between classrooms on the second and third floors integrates benches and high tables, creating a seamless space for student interaction and enriching the gap time between classes.
On the fourth floor, over half of the area is used as an outdoor oasis, building harmony between the urban and natural environments. Decked terraces, complemented by custom benches, spacious tables, and approachable counters, all amidst a verdant landscape, offer an inviting haven where individuals can savor nature while remaining immersed in the urban milieu.
The basement floor was renovated into a large space utilizing the high ceiling height of the tiered atrium.
For the time being, it is planned to be used as a gallery, but for future use as a digital studio and for flexible use of the space for a variety of purposes, The floor is concrete OA, and spotlights, line lighting, and indirect lighting are used in a variable lighting scheme that can be adapted according to the use of the space.
The distinctive large beams that support the building are utilized in the skeleton, while the high walls provide a blank space, and the floor grating, which serves as ventilation, functions as a gentle partition between the spaces. The floor grating serves as a gentle partition between the two spaces.
The exhibits and art that will be placed here in the future, as well as the students who will use the space, will play a leading role in this space.
The building, constructed during the 1990s, boasts a distinctive concrete façade that reflects the influence of post-modernism.
Its interior, on the other hand, retains vestiges of the era’s penchant for vintage charm, adorned with marble-clad walls and wooden floors.
Adding to this contrast with the exterior, the interior design ethos leans towards timelessness and neutrality, and avoids excessive embellishments. Located between Shibuya and Harajuku, this approach introduces a touch of urban sophistication while remaining within the project’s allocated budget. The overall spatial strategy accentuates the existing structural framework, ensuring adaptability for future updates through minimalist finishes and thoughtfully curated details.
The institution's foundation is rooted in the design principles of Germany's Bauhaus.
* Inside the renovated spaces, the predominant materials are steel, glass, and concrete – the very elements that drove the modernist movement.
This interior design pays homage to Bauhaus by reinterpreting its aesthetic, featuring clean, curved railings, custom curtains, textiles, and upcycled honed marble tabletops, all set against a backdrop of a white, skeletal structure painted in neutral grays, evoking an industrial yet unassuming ambiance.
This design philosophy provides a neutral canvas for students of design to express their “color,” their unique design perspectives.
With these elements in mind, the space’s enduring impression will continue to offer balance, allowing students studying in the midst of Tokyo’s metropolis to focus on their own education. Inheriting its history as Japan's first design school, the building is intended as a generous receptacle that nurtures the creative minds of the future.
*Bauhaus
Founded in 1919 by architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany, the Bauhaus was a comprehensive school of visual arts that aimed to unify art and industry. It provided rigorous design education and left a profound influence on subsequent art and cultural movements in Europe and the United States.