AXS VISION
Vision
Purpose
raison d'être
Architecture For All
AXS has a saying that was passed down from its founder, Sato Takefu.
"Architecture is inherently for everyone. I don't think we should overemphasize the strong individuality of the author."
Rather, it should be modest, serving as the catalyst for the stage performances performed by the local culture and citizens.”
Since our founding in 1945, we have carried on this philosophy, while facing the challenges of society, continuing to ask the question: "What is the public nature of architecture?"
Our motto is "Architecture for All".
That "All" no longer simply refers to humans alone.
Facing the climate crisis, the loss of biodiversity, the deterioration of urban environments, the intensification of disasters, and the responsibility to future generations, we cannot continue to think of architecture and cities as tools for the benefit of humans alone.
From a human-centered approach to “All Beings”
We extend "All" to include not only people, but also diverse creatures, regions, cities, nature, the Earth, and future existence.
By carefully analyzing the times, local culture, history, and traditions, the topography, and the climate, we create "unique" architecture that brings all living beings together through our conceptual and design abilities.
That is the Architecture for All we strive for.
Vision
Prospects for the future
A future connected by co-cycling
The term "cyclo" is composed of the words "cyclo" and "ring".
The term "common" does not mean that different existences become the same; rather, they share space, time, value, and responsibility while maintaining their differences, and exist together.
The term "ring" refers to the way that different elements connect, interact, and influence each other, resulting in the formation of a single whole.
Therefore, "cycloalkyl" means
"For those who live together to remain connected while maintaining differences, to allow each other's contributions to flourish, and to together cultivate new relationships and values."
It is not a pre-determined order; it is a new form of publicness that is constantly nurtured and updated by the interactions of diverse entities.
We view architecture not as mere facilities or spaces, but as a "co-circular space" where diverse entities come together, connect, and leverage each other's strengths to cultivate relationships and value.
Through architecture, we will reconnect people with one another, with nature, with life and place, with the past and the future, and envision a future where we can all move together, grow together, and be connected.
That is the "future of interconnectedness through common circles" that we envision.
The four missions that form the "common ring"
The "circular economy" is achieved when the four perspectives of public, co-creation, circulation, and the environment interact with each other.
- Public
- Connecting with society and fostering enrichment
- co-creation
- Enjoying differences and fostering empathy
- circulation
- Giving life to everything, creating the future
- Environment
- Think of the Earth, open up tomorrow
Mission
Our mission
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Public | Connecting with society, questioning abundance
For us, "public" does not mean only creating public buildings or pursuing the common interests of human society alone.
While bringing people a “better everyday life,” it is also about creating the conditions for diverse living beings, regions, nature, and the future to continue to coexist and nurturing their value.
"What is public for whom?"
"What do you call wealth?"
"Is the current level of affluence not putting a burden on other lives and future generations?"
We not only listen to the voices of the people; we also read the influences of culture, nature, ecosystems, history, and culture on the future, and we reexamine the public meaning of each project.
We create architecture as a “stage of relationships” where the relationships between people, people and nature, and life and place are nurtured and continuously updated as they are used.
That is the "public" we strive for. -
Co-creation │ Enjoying differences, fostering empathy
What we value in "co-creation"
People with different specialties, experiences, values, cultures, generations, and positions transform differences into a source of creativity and together seek for better answers.
The people we should respond to are not just human beings. The environment, climate, topography, water, greenery, creatures, history, and existing architecture and materials also have their own unique characteristics and functions. The future users and the generations that will emerge from now on are also the beings we should imagine and take responsibility for.
Through research, observation, dialogue, data, and expert insights, we listen to these “silenced voices” and build architecture that is unique to these places, responding to the power that already exists there.
To support that practice, we ourselves are also challenging new organizations. By ensuring quality and responsibility through a hierarchical organization, and by expanding knowledge across departments, specialties, regions, generations, and the internal and external boundaries of organizations through a network-based organization, we are cultivating the AXS version of the dual system, where the two organizations’ structures interact and function as one system. Without fear of difference, we exchange opinions across positions, and from there, we create new relationships and value.
That is what we aim for with “co-creation.” -
Circulation │ Bringing life to what exists, creating a future with nothing to waste
What we consider "circular"
It is to inherit the values of architecture, nature, resources, memory, knowledge, technology, culture, and relationships, to re-read their value, and to transform them towards the future.
Existing buildings, local resources, history and people’s memories, planning skills cultivated through public architecture, on-site knowledge, and the ideas and expertise inherited—all of these are assets for creating the future.
We do not focus only on new construction; we also renew the value of architecture and the local community through renovation, regeneration, and repurposing. We consider using and restoring architecture, passing it on, and returning it to circulation without compromising the materials, water, energy, soil, greenery, and ecological cycles.
Taking something that already exists and creating a new relationship and value between it and the new situation.
It’s not about creating and ending; it’s about nurturing, connecting, and growing again.
That is the "cycle" we aim for. -
Environment: Thinking of the Earth, opening up tomorrow
The "environment" that we think of is
People, diverse creatures, architecture, cities, nature, and the Earth are a whole of relationships in which they influence and are influenced by each other.
Both humans and buildings are part of the vast cycle created by the earth, water, air, light, heat, plants, living beings, resources, and energy.
We respect the local climate, topography, and ecosystems, and while reducing the impact on the global environment, we envision buildings that will preserve a healthy environment for diverse life forms and future generations.
At the same time, we carefully adjust the quality of spatial experience—such as boundaries, places, movement paths, light, sound, thermal comfort, and materials—so that understanding and empathy can be nurtured between people and between people and their surroundings.
Furthermore, we create a "common habitat" within the architecture that restores the connection between water, soil, greenery, and living things through the earth, and fosters a small cycle between the city and nature.
Rather than relying solely on technology to solve problems, we combine diverse knowledge to create a foundation upon which all beings can coexist.
That is the "environment" we aim for.
Architecture for
To all practical matters
The "Common Circle" is the future we aspire to. The four missions—public, co-creation, circularity, and the environment—are our commitments to society to realize that future in architecture and cities.
We use "Art × Science" as a guiding principle, combining different specialties and values to repeat hypotheses and experiments. We create public value that is open to diverse existence, circulating that value while continuously renewing the environment and public sphere for a more prosperous society.
Architecture for All——Architecture for the Living Together of All Beings
We will implement the four missions in practice and concretely implement the "Future Connected by Co-Circulation" in architecture and cities.
That is our mission at AXS.
