21_21 Design Sight

Tadao Ando is a star among Japanese architects. «We have a special relationship with nature », says the consistent minimalist: «We have learned a lot from history and tradition which is of value to architecture.» Above all Ando pays a great deal of attention to details, and it is clear from all their aspects that his buildings are designed with great precision. «Architecture should create a place which arouse vital forces», he says.

The impulse for the creation of 21_21 Design Sight originated during the Isamu Noguchi exhibition in New York. Designer Issey Miyake, architect Tadao Ando and sculptor Noguchi talked about the need for a place where Japanese design could be discovered, promoted and shared.

The project then took shape in the form of 21_21 Design Sights, which opened its doors in Roppongi, Tokyo Midtown, in March 2007.

Tokyo Midtown is a new development with a range of offices, parks, shopping malls, apartments, restaurants and museums. The area around Roppongi is well known for its many pioneering galleries with contemporary art, architecture and design. In recent years the local art and design scene has been given a boost with the opening of the Mori Museum of Art in Roppongi Hills, followed by the National Tokyo Art Center in Nogizaka and the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo Midtown.

Tadao Ando wanted to create a building which would be representative of Japan: «Working from the theme of an architectural design rooted in the inspiration of encounters with discovery, we place the main thrust of the structure underground, in a design that created airy and graceful space above ground. This incorporated the desire to use the power of design as a pointer in bringing forth a new cultural stronghold to intricately shape and shade the Japan of the 21st century.»

The low-rise building consists of one floor below ground and one floor above, with the largest part of the volume below ground. From the roof large steel sheets reach diagonally down to the ground. The restrained exterior provides generous space inside the building, containing a reception area, two mezzanine floors and a triangular, sunken courtyard. The building is surrounded by Japan's longest stretch of double glazing.

The name 21_21 Design Sight was derived from a logical conclusion: in English perfect sight is described as «20/20 vision» and a sharp eye combined with perceptive insight is essential to the creation of good design. The name hints at the fact that looking beyond the here and now to the future is essential to the design process.

In 21_21 Design Sight the world can be experienced through design. It is less a museum than a research centre for design, a place to think about design and designing buildings. The aim is to share opinions and ideas with the various parties who are involved in the creative process. Designers and their companies, craftsmen, engineers and the final users are intended to generate a movement which will promote interest in design and our understanding of it.

Issey Miyake, Fashion Designer
«When I think of design, I embrace images alive in freedom and energy. With «21_21 Design Sight», the goal is to reach across boundaries in bringing together craftsmen from all genres, conceiving new plans and moving to the creative process. I am confident that if we stay focused on the vision of constantly moving forward, the design expertise fostered in the past will come to be naturally pooled at this location, and serve as a springboard to new discoveries and insights.»

Naoto Fukasawa, Product Designer:
«21_21 Design Sight» is unlikely to exhibit creations that have already come to be recognized as design. Rather, it is positioned as a venue for reviewing and retooling «objects and ideas» from around the world, proceeding from the perspective of design. Emerging from the lush green of the park, visitors will encounter a beautiful low-rise structure expanding to the basement level. This is a setting strategically poised to fuse new design viewpoints into the midst of the everyday domain.»

Design demands the power to discern all things, while bringing clear insight into play at the same time. In Britain and America, outstanding eyesight is described as «20/20 vision» (or sight), as well as «perfect vision.» Working from this nomenclature, a search was made for a name that would express the concept of a venue to convey designs seeing further ahead. Following considerable contemplation, the decision was made to adopt the name «21_21 Design Sight.»