Last month marked the closing of the inaugural Hiroshima Architectural Exhibition 2025, an ambitious, elegant, and much-needed event whose essential message was hope and renewal for future generations. Having experienced the worst suffering a civilian population can endure, the venue was fitting; Hiroshima has risen above its tortured past to become a global advocate for peaceful coexistence while never forgetting its history. That ethos of tangible peace wove its way through the festival, with the central theme of “Architecture: A New Stance for Tomorrow.”

Held across Fukuyama and Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture, the inaugural triennial event was dedicated to architecture in Japan’s Setouchi region and organized by the Kambara & Tsuneishi Foundation. It featured exhibitions on Pritzker Prize-winning architects, future visions for architecture, and site-specific installations at venues such as the Onomichi City Museum of the Art and Fukuyama Museum of Art. The festival’s theme sets the tone for future editions, which will take place every three years.

The mission was rooted in the belief that architecture can inspire hope and renewal. As Katsushige Kambara, Representative Director of the Kambara & Tsuneishi Foundation, stated: “We believe that a love for the art of architecture and a respect for the wisdom, technologies, and ideas of our predecessors is essential not just for individuals but for society. Through the art of architecture, we will advocate for futuristic city planning, nurture the sensibilities of future generations, revitalize local communities, and preserve examples of exceptional architecture in the regions.”

On the closing days of the festival, Japan Contemporaries visited Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens in Fukuyama City, where the exhibition included works by Clouds Architecture Office (Masayuki Sono, Ostap Rudakevych, and Yuko Sono), Junya Ishigami, Koki Akiyoshi / VUILD, Norihisa Kawashima, and Sou Fujimoto, and also featured a retrospective of Pritzker Prize–winning Kenzo Tange’s seminal career and life’s work. In the museum’s garden, Tsuboya by Yasushi Horibe was presented as a small wooden pavilion based on the traditional tsubo unit of measurement.

Kenzo Tange: The Spirit of Peace and Legacy

Hovering over the festival was the enlightened spirit and enduring legacy of Kenzo Tange. Renowned as the visionary architect behind Hiroshima’s Peace Park and the subsequent museum, Tange’s work stands as a profound commemoration of the immense loss of life and destruction that followed the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Although he passed away in 2005, his invisible presence was keenly felt throughout the festival, as his lasting ideas and unwavering commitment to peace and an evolved society positioned him as a guiding figure and godfather to the talented and passionate architects featured in the festival.

Featured in the festival was Tange’s sole personal project during his career: Seijo House, located in the Seijo neighborhood of Tokyo. Built in 1953 and later demolished, Tange’s only private residence blended Le Corbusier-inspired design with traditional Japanese elements such as tatami mats and engawa verandas. The festival revived the spirit of Seijo House by presenting a scale model and recreating one of its rooms.

Seijo House represented more than just an architectural milestone; it was, at its core, a profoundly human project. As described by Tange’s daughter, Michiko Uchida, the house was conceived as a gathering place for young people—a space that encouraged interaction, collaboration, and the birth of new ideas. Through its design, Seijo House exemplified Tange’s conviction that architecture should serve as a catalyst for community-building, fostering creativity and inspiring the next generation.

Tange’s forward-thinking vision was evident in his anticipation of the information age—a reality with which those showcased at the festival, now grapple. He articulated the importance of achieving a dynamic equilibrium between technological progress and human experience, recognizing that this relationship plays a decisive role in shaping contemporary cultural forms and social structures. Tange said, “I like to think there is something deep in our own world of reality that will create a dynamic balance between technology and human existence, the relationship between which has a decisive effect on contemporary cultural forms and social structure.”

Yet, at the core of Tange’s vision lay a deep appreciation for the emotional and symbolic dimensions of architecture and ultimately it was this that guided his practice: “There is a powerful need for symbolism, and that means the architecture must have something that appeals to the human heart.”

The special exhibition NEXT ARCHITECTURE: Connecting to Tomorrow highlights five architectural practices poised to shape the future of the field. The exhibition presents works by Clouds Architecture Office (New York), Sou Fujimoto Architects (Tokyo), Junya Ishigami + Associates (Tokyo), Norihisa Kawashima Architect & Associates (Tokyo), and VUILD / Koki Akiyoshi (Tokyo).

Mars Ice House

The Mars Ice House by Clouds Architecture Office ( Masayuki Sono,Ostap Rudakevych, and Yuko Sono) was selected in NASA’s 3‑D Printed Habitat Challenge. It stands out among visions of space habitation because of its deeply human character. Although it imagines building on Mars, the proposal treats the planet not as a blank stage for technology but as a living environment to inhabit with care.

Rather than send the majority of construction materials from Earth to build the ice house the team thought it would be most practical to use what already exists on Mars: water. The Ice House will be built primarily by autonomous robots, capable of working in Mars’ extreme conditions. To assemble the structure, it draws inspiration from the traditional ice‑shelter knowledge of native Arctic societies, who mastered the use of ice for insulation, structural strength, and light management in extreme environments.

The team carefully considered mental health by incorporating elements that support psychological well-being in an isolated, extreme environment. The translucent ice shell allows natural light to filter into the habitat, helping maintain circadian rhythms and reducing the sense of confinement that can accompany long-term stays on Mars. Additionally, the design includes spacious, human-centered interiors with views of the Martian landscape, creating a visual connection to the outside world that can alleviate feelings of isolation and promote a sense of openness and comfort.

Compost Bench

Compost Bench by Norihisa Kawashima acts as a bridge between Mars House and Earth, emphasizing circular processes in architecture. The project recycles temple maple leaves into compost to nourish the same trees and landscape, turning seasonal leaf fall into a cycle of renewal. Serving as both practical furniture and an educational tool, the bench invites visitors to sit among decomposing leaves and reflect on the compost cycle’s role in sustaining life—a direct parallel to the regenerative systems of Mars House. Rooted in ancient wisdom, the composting practice suggests that a sustainable future in space begins by honoring Earth’s enduring cycles of decay and renewal.

The Forest of the Future

In the context of the other practices in “Next Architecture” Koki Akiyoshi’s work The Forest of the Future represents the technological strand of the festival. His proposals treat software, fabrication tools, and distributed production networks as part of a living ecosystem, just as Compost Bench treats leaves and soil as part of a life cycle and Mars House treats Martian resources as components of a closed loop.

The structure serves as a physical manifesto for the “democratization of architecture” through digital fabrication. By using CNC-milled local timber and complex wood-to-wood joinery, Akiyoshi evokes the steep, functional geometry of traditional Gassho-zukuri roofs while demonstrating a modern, decentralized construction system where technology enables local communities to build high-design structures themselves.

Resonant

Sou Fujimoto’s “Resonant City” is a speculative vision of a future metropolis made of overlapping spherical “neighborhoods” instead of a single, centralized city core. Each sphere is imagined as a self-contained urban unit of about 500 meters across, equipped with everyday functions like housing, schools, workplaces, parks, and cultural facilities, then linked in three dimensions so they form something more like a forest canopy than a hierarchical grid.​

The key idea is resonance rather than order imposed from above: people, activities, and infrastructures overlap and influence each other the way trees, undergrowth, and animals coexist in a woodland, creating a loose but vibrant structure. Mobility and digital technologies are treated as “atmospheric” tools that let residents move freely between spheres and reconfigure how the city connects over time, so the urban fabric can adapt to social and environmental changes instead of remaining fixed.​

House and Restaurant

Junya Ishigami’s mud-covered House and Restaurant in Ube, in Yamaguchi Prefecture exemplify his pursuit of architecture that dissolves into the landscape rather than asserting itself upon it. Concealed below ground level and blanketed with earth, the structure appears less like a building than a subtle deformation of the terrain, an inhabitable extension of the land itself. By lowering the volume into the ground and allowing mud and soil to become both material and camouflage, Ishigami challenges conventional distinctions between architecture and nature. The project evokes ancient dwellings and geological formations, suggesting shelter as something discovered within the earth rather than constructed above it.

Inside, the underground spaces foster a quiet, introspective atmosphere shaped by filtered light, restrained openings, and an acute awareness of gravity and enclosure. The restaurant and living areas feel protected yet porous, encouraging occupants to slow down and attune themselves to subtle changes in light, temperature, and sound. This piece of architecture can be regarded to contain his overall philosophy. Ishigami stated, “The role of the architect is to create environments that resonate with the consciousness of the time. The twentieth century was an age of cities. Urban life formed the foundation of collective awareness, shaping the scale at which people lived, and provided the setting where culture emerged and civilization developed. How about today? The scope of our consciousness has already outgrown the scale of the city. The role of the contemporary architect is to create environments that are continuous with this expanded, planetary consciousness. This means producing environments that look at nature and the artificial, the inside and outside of cities, people of different cultures and values, and even humans and other ecosystems on an equal footing removing boundaries and forging new connections.”

Tsuboya

Tsuboya by Yasushi Horibe is a small, wooden structure with a peaked roof that harmonizes with its Zen garden surrounding. Its architecture quietly respects and integrates into the landscape, creating an atmosphere of serenity and balance. Horibe said he envisions Tsuboya as a bridge between tradition and innovation, providing not only a functional refreshment point but also sparking dialogue on how natural materials and craftsmanship can be sustained. He continued, “I believe architecture is not merely physical; it is a “way” like the tea ceremony, judo, or bushido. It is a single path stretching from the past to the future, and this project exists along that path. I see it as an important opportunity to consider what can be done to preserve the kinds of materials we are familiar with today, and the traditional hand-carving carpentry techniques that are disappearing before our eyes. According to the traditional measuring system, 6 shaku (1,820 mm) by 6 shaku (1,820mm) equals one tsubo. This unit of area has always formed the basis for human residences and land in Japan.”