• Architectural research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.91-102
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• 2016

This study examines modernist grid and boundary in the works of Toyo Ito - two of the most important notions characterizing the development of Toyo Ito as an iconoclast architect. Early in his career, Ito recognized modernist architecture's inherent tendencies to establish homogenous order and divide space by function was alienating people from their context. Ito identified the notions of modernist grid and boundary as the agents of Modernism which inadvertently served to impose this systematic order and severe separation. As a reaction against these tendencies, Ito sought to avoid the use of modernist grid and blur boundary in his architecture. In Ito's career spanning over four decades, he engages in an exhaustive inquiry seeking to modify these two core elements of architecture. This study investigates these two notions in Ito's works and examines the significance of the architect's exploration in the context of Japan's Modernism.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.372-380
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• 2012

Architecture is the result of reflecting paradigm. As the paradigms and architectures are changing, architect between them are not free by no means. As changes occur continuously, it is important to acknowledge the flows of change and to do some roles in that flows. Toyo Ito is one of the architects who confront the contemporary situations, find the problem and struggle to containing it in his architectural world. He tries to accept and reorganize the phenomenon that appears today's society. Contemporary architecture is showing many aspects on the ground of ecological paradigm. Therefore fresh architectural methods are being quested. This study point at one aspect of Toyo Ito's architectural feature - eco-friendly- which have domiant influences on his architecture philosophy. This notion also has important role on Toyo Ito's past and present activities.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• no.36
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• pp.37-43
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• 2003

This study investigates the characteristic traits of architectural design of Toyo Ito, who has been acclaimed as one of the most famous present-day Japanese architects. Ito' architecture is generally known as media architecture for its specific natures such as lightness, dematerialization, extensive use of shiny glass, etc. In this respect, Ito's architecture is a radical departure from the tradition of the architectural modernism mostly represented by Le Corbusier. In this study, the architectural world of Toyo Ito is divided into four main section: the conversation between architecture and nature, the architecture of the wind, simulation, and virtual reality, Each of these categories is given full investigation together with appropriate architectural model fit into them.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.55-63
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• 2017

Recent projects of Japanese architect, Ito Toyo have been evolved into innovative and experimental stages that are unique and different from other contemporary architects. Since Ito established his own office in 1971, there were several critical changes and developments in terms of architectural philosophy as well as design methods. Particularly, after Sendai Mediatheque, Ito has tended to focus on creating three-dimensional organic body in which architectural form, space, structure, facilities, images are merged all together. With this new type of three-dimensional structure, Ito aims to generate a new notion of architecture as 'living organism'. This paper tried to analyze Ito's new concept of architecture, design process of three-dimensional organic body and its ultimate characteristics and meanings. For the analysis, three projects were selected: Taichung Metropolitan Opera House(2005), Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive(2007), The New Deichman Library in Oslo(2008). These projects clearly represent several types of three-dimensional organic body. After the comparative studies, it is found that, in Ito's design process and method, there are unique characters: ambivalent relationship between plan and three-dimensional form, aiming new/hyper reality through complicated collaboration of analogue and digital design tools, and contradictory relationship with surrounding urban context. Although there are some limitations and restrictions, ever-evolving Ito's design concept and methods are very much valid and meaningful in contemporary spatial design in various perspectives.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.332-339
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• 2017

Today, our indoor space requires a user-centered considering design that satisfies even human sensitivity. The word 'sensitivity' is being frequently used in the design market recently and this means that consumers are becoming more sensitive. For this reason, the characteristics of Toyo Ito's architecture, which are innocent due to its natural structure and materials, are suggested as a sensitive lighting stand design which can relieve users' stress from daily life and bring a psychological stability. As such, sensitivity lighting can create a lighting environment that considers consumers in various spaces along with the development of new scientific technologies and develop in a new direction of aesthetical beauty and eco-friendly area. In this study, a natural and sensitive lighting stand is suggested where a variety of digital art techniques of LED are applied based on formative characteristics of relationship, one of Toyo Ito's architectural concept factors. Such sensitivity lighting designs can not only realize a type-free design but also suggest a creation of the atmosphere which is close to nature.

• Design Convergence Study
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.59-74
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• 2017

Louis Sullivan insisted, "Form follows function." Functionality is one of the most fundamental elements for users to use product or space, and "function" in space and architecture has the meaning of the most important factor in determining its form. In this way, from the viewpoint of "Functionalism," the research selected Toyo Ito to see how important elements pursued by Functionalism are related to his forms of creation. Small residential space projects of Toyo Ito from the early 1970s to the present are selected, so that the structure, material and space type of space and architecture can easily grasped and analyzed. Space and architectural structures and surfaces were classified into the characteristics of materials and classified according to the strength of openness of space. As a result, the space and architecture that pursue the function use a method that can maximize the efficiency of the function while excluding the whole decoration in order to highlight the function. The characteristics found in Toyo Ito's small-scale residential space can be defined as the formalization and simplification of the form, the openness of space, and the versatility of each element.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• no.36
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• pp.14-21
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• 2003

The Propose of this research was to consider how the New Media Architecture was applied to contemporary architecture according to the analysis of the design method process of Toyo Ito. Sendai Mediatheque by Toyo Ito stands as one of the most symbolic statement In New Media architecture. The four principal architectural elements of the Mediatheque are the digital image, the continuous space, the tube, and the skin facade. The digital image express forms of communication, person-to-person and person-to-thing, and they vary according to the media utilized on each level. The three skin elements of the Mediatheque are a double skin of MPG, skin of louvers, skin of fine-floor decking. The tubes act as columns while enveloping light, air, water, electricity the passage of people, as well as the means of transferring material. The thirteen tubes of different sizes prevent the erection of wall and suggest places instead of rooms. Instead of being limited to certain specified actions in clearly defined rooms, people are free to choose places for their actions in the continuous space.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.72-82
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• 2014

The Contemporary paradigm to understand the complexity and diversity is moving to 'Becoming' that taken place in reviewing at the relation of various concepts. In Japan, After the collapse of modern architecture has been declared 'Metabolism' was appeared. They tried to apply organism's metabolic system to buildings based on ecological thoughts. But Metaboilsm's projects had revealed limitations of representation that the city on the mechanical system became a huge scale. As a result, It caused a break the cultural context of the region in Japan. After then, Japanese Architects expressed a pluralistic aspects of modern society for the restoration of disconnected cultural context. From this perspective, The thought of 'becoming' is a new role for Contemporary Japanese Architect. This research is focused of projects of SANAA, Ito Toyo, Sou Fujimoto, because they have spatial thought about realizing the space through the ways organizing the various potential possibilities in the simple external form not stimulated. They are realize the 'becoming-space' within the architecture. This 'becoming-space' gives people in building the new characteristics and experience that potential interactions among user, architecture and nature. It is non-representational space not fixed, but changing organically and variably.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2010

The problem of defining the relationship between interior space and exterior envelope of a building has long been a challenging task in the field of architecture throughout its history. This research chronologically reviews some of the important turning points in various schools of thoughts concerning construction of exterior envelope, with focus on how they influenced and altered the formation of our interior environment. This research also stipulates on how technological advance in the late 20th century laid grounds for a new type of interior-exterior relations in architecture through creation of flexible and ambiguous boundary conditions. The focus of this qualitative research will be on contemporary works of Japanese architects Toyo Ito, SANAA, and related group of architects who address the issues of transparency, flexible interior layout, buffer zones, structural facade, and neutralized (homogeneous) space that produces spatial quality of non-linear, non-hierarchical, and de-materialized space as a direct alternative to modern principles of space making.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Interior Design Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.69-74
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• 2005

Despite the advancement of knowledge and techniques, architectural design has been developed by similar method and science as the logical tool since the development of Le Corbusier's 'module'. However, in the new millenium emotional design has become a key issue and today is the turning point regarding new method for designing human space. While architecture discipline of the West focused on logic, Japan based its origin in eastern discipline has developed a unique design concept called 'metabolism' and advanced it very effectively. Since its development of the unique concept, Toyo Ito has become one of the most Influential architect in and out of Japan who devoted his design career in developing new space concept. This study is specifically focused on Ito's project by finding characteristics of his projects and analyze emotional design factors by using 5 analytical tool - experiencing the space, five senses, landmark, sequence, and scale. Ito's work between 2000-2004, such as Sendai Mediatheque, showed more visible sign of emotional design characteristics compared to the works done in 1990's. Because of the analytical studies researching those emotional design characteristics and methods, the future advancement in new space design will be possible with great success. The result proves that continuing proper analysis and research in design method will assist in approaching new space design method into more advanced realm in very efficient time period with more definite design elements to accomodate and fulfill human needs in given space.