Customisation is key for the founder of APOLLO Architects
Japanese architect Satoshi Kurosaki, founder of APOLLO Architects & Associates, is on the jury of the Archiproducts Design Awards for the fifth year.
Even though there is only one day left until the deadline for submissions, we asked Satoshi Kurosaki a few questions about what he expects from the products he will judge and his vision of post-pandemic contemporary design.
Interview with Satoshi Kurosaki, member of the 2021 Archiproducts Design Awards jury
What do you expect from the entries and what characteristics should the winning products have?
I hope to see entries that not only solve design problems in an elegant way, but also address issues like new lifestyles, sustainability and the global environment. I will award projects that people around the world can connect to and admire, regardless of their location, gender or nationality. I want to see products that lead to action.
How should contemporary design evolve to meet the needs of the community?
Historically, furniture and products have evolved as lifestyles have changed and latent needs have emerged. Today, the information revolution is transforming lifestyles once again. Needs have become extremely diversified, making customisation a key issue. We need to go beyond the development of standardised products to create new innovative narratives that overcome the boundaries of technology, design, business models and user-experience. I also believe that designers need to engage directly and deeply with the question of how long their products will be used and loved.
In the post-pandemic era, how can design define a ‘new normal’?
I don’t believe that the ‘new normal’ will create new styles. On the contrary, I believe that what is truly sustainable and important are custom designs and products that delicately blend new and old, ordinary and extraordinary, interior and exterior, public and private in ways that create diversity, allowing people to express themselves and products to evolve with their users.
How do you think the pandemic has affected design?
As more and more people work from home and spend more time with their families, offices and schools have integrated seamlessly with domestic and outdoor-centric lifestyles. Biophilic design has become much more common. For example, my feeling is that products that can be used both in the office and at home, as well as furniture and kitchens that connect indoor and outdoor space, will play a central role in people’s lives for some time. There’s a strong demand for designers to create value through experience rather than superficial appearance, which has little meaning.
About Satoshi Kurosaki
Satoshi Kurosaki, born in 1970 in Kanazawa, founded APOLLO Architects & Associates in 2000. The firm’s design interests range from products to large residential buildings.
APOLLO has offices in Tokyo and Okinawa, as well as in Korea and China. Its main works are residential, villas, resorts, clinics and commercial structures.
Kurosaki, one of Japan’s most active architects with more than 150 buildings completed in 16 years, is also a lecturer at Keio University.
Entries for the 2021 edition of the award are open!
Each brand can nominate from 1 to 5 products, from Furniture to Lighting to Contract to Building.
The deadline for participation is September 16, 2021.
APPLY NOW!
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