Trailer Tension & Release

Not eligible for AIA CES Credits

The lesson develops through the biography of the two founders of the studio, Massimo Alvisi and Junko Kirimoto, two different and at the same time complementary paths.

On the one hand, the experiences of Junko Kirimoto at the University of Kyoto, straddling both art and architecture, and then with world-famous Japanese architects such as Shin Takamatsu and Kazuyo Sejima, up to her arrival to Italy and the collaboration with Massimiliano Fuksas.

On the other hand, Massimo Alvisi with his education at the Faculty of Architecture in Florence, in collaboration with Thomas Herzog and Renzo Piano. With the latter, architect Alvisi has worked side by side for eight years for important construction sites such as that of Potsdamer Platz in Berlin and the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome. Collaborations with Oscar Niemeyer and Rem Koolhaas followed.

Fundamental characters that are still present today in the production and research of the Alvisi and Kirimoto studio, from the theme and importance of the competitions, from Renzo Piano’s idea of “breaking down by parts” to that of the concept to be used in the design process. A continuous and constantly evolving research the one carried out by Alvisi and Kirimoto, where an attitude of "synthesis of complexity" and a "sartorial" dimension applied to projects emerge, where the approach is almost "sociological", consisting of little interventions as it happened for the project of the Italian suburbs carried out by the work group G124 coordinated by Renzo Piano.

The projects are the central aspect of the lesson, moving from the elements and steps that lead to the realization: the models, the research and the relationship with the landscape - not only physical - and with the client, the phases of the project, the materials and construction site. The “practical” and managerial aspects of the studios are balanced by the achievements that tell of continuous experimentation through spaces and places, from the Podernuovo winery of the Bulgari family, to housing experiences, passing through the creation of imaginative spaces for offices as in the case of Chicago or HQ Casillo, up to the many important theaters (Corato, Naples and St. Petersburg) and the auditoria (LUISS Roma).

From Alvisi and Kirimoto’s lesson what emerges is the figure of the architect as an "antenna capable of incorporating changes", a professional who has the goal of managing complexity, a professional who has a civil role with responsibilities both towards the territory and the society.

Educational objectives

• You will learn about the training experience and the references of architects Massimo Alvisi and Junko Kirimoto, essential elements in their professional practice, a journey straddling different cultures and disciplines where the traces of figures such as Renzo Piano, Oscar Niemeyer, Shin Takamatsu and Massimiliano Fuksas can be seen
• You will explore the research proposal and the architectural practice of the Alvisi and Kirimoto studio, a work in which the different phases of the project are fundamental: from conception to its development up to the construction site
• You will draw inspiration from the “sartorial” dimension proposed by the studio through the numerous achievements and geographies: production buildings, office and living spaces, places of culture and teaching
• You will better understand the role and contribution of the architect within the society and in the transformation of the territory