Old Is New documents the architectural practice of Hiroshi Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida's New Material Research Laboratory, tracing how ancient materials and classical Japanese techniques are reinterpreted to connect past, present, and future through built form.
About This Book
Founded on the paradox that the oldest things are the newest, the New Material Research Laboratory approaches architecture as an act of material archaeology. Sugimoto — known internationally as a photographer and artist — and architect Sakakida established the laboratory to interrogate what happens when ancient materials and pre-modern construction techniques are subjected to a rigorous contemporary lens. This volume moves between art, architecture, and archaeological philosophy, presenting each project through photographs composed as much for their balance of temporal registers as for documentation. For practitioners and scholars interested in Japanese aesthetics, material culture, and the philosophy of architectural preservation, this is a rare primary source.
Key Features
- 400 pages of richly illustrated project photography and material studies, each image composed to reflect the interplay of historical and contemporary
- Principal texts written by Hiroshi Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida discussing their practice and approach
- Additional textual contributions on Japanese tradition, aesthetics, and their historical context
- Annotated index of materials and classical Japanese techniques drawn from the laboratory's research
- Published by Lars Mueller Publishers, 2008
What You'll Discover
- How the New Material Research Laboratory defines "new materials" not through innovation but through a recontextualisation of inherited ancient and medieval building materials
- The philosophical basis for reconnecting contemporary architecture with pre-modern eras — and projecting that continuity toward the future
- How Sugimoto's photographic sensibility shapes the way the laboratory documents and presents its architectural work, treating images as compositions rather than records
- A detailed annotated index of classical Japanese construction techniques, situating each within the laboratory's broader research and design ethos
About the Author
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a contemporary Japanese artist and photographer whose practice spans fine art, architecture, and design philosophy. In 2008, he co-founded the New Material Research Laboratory with architect Tomoyuki Sakakida, an architectural firm dedicated to researching and developing approaches that rethink inherited materials from ancient, medieval, and modern periods.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 400
- Dimensions: 172 x 240 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783037786468
- Publisher: Lars Mueller Publishers
- Publication Date: 2008
Perfect For: Architects and designers engaged with material heritage, scholars of Japanese aesthetics and architectural history, and practitioners exploring the philosophical dimensions of preservation and continuity in built form.