JA 115 Autumn, 2019: Manabu Chiba

After starting his firm in 2001, Manabu Chiba has produced a wide range of works including residences, housing complexes, commercial facilities, schools, and town halls. Additionally, after starting out as an assistant to Tadao Ando at the University of Tokyo, he is now a professor in the Department of Architecture His practice has continually focused on distilling the special characteristics of each building site into the project design Chiba's work on public housing and civic projects are particularly noted for integrating the local community and fostering relationships between workers and visitors JA 115 is dedicated to the Japanese architect Manabu Chiba and features 24 projects since his firm was established in 2001. Included are completed projects, works in progress, and future proposals. Working through a wide range of building types, he focuses on the special characteristics of the location as well as the people who live and work there. His designs try to build human relationships and communal social situations that are connected to these specific environments. Chiba's work is presented in 3 chapters that correspond to his design methods: floor plans, studies, and photographs. He pays close attention to floor plans as a starting point for his design concepts, while studies represent numerous, different explorations of ideas that unfold through the use of sketches and models. Photographs, on the other hand, are snapshot references of Chiba's buildings as they currently exist. Text in English and Japanese.