TODAY’S ARCHITECTS are expected to be
the ultimate all-rounders. Over the years,
their lists of expertise have accumulated
anything and everything, from a natural
progression into interiors to the less-but-
still-related specialities of typography and
web design. As more in the field head down
the jack-of-all-trades route, how can the new
generation set itself apart?
For Tokyo-based studio DDAA,
the answer lies in defining a leitmotif, one
that speaks to the zeitgeist. The firm offers
an ‘architectural perspective on multidis-
ciplinary projects’, says founder Daisuke
Motogi, who established DDAA in 2010 after
majoring in architecture at Musashino Art
University, where he now teaches. ‘Although
my thoughts are rooted in architecture, I
don’t consider different genres separately
when I design.’ Those designs could be city
plans, landscapes, interiors, products or
branding – or all of the above – and their
shared intention is to challenge traditional
notions of luxury.
DDAA wants its designs to satisfy the
spectrum – ‘from Michelin-starred restau-
rants to small bistros’ – and to mirror each
client’s values. ‘I wouldn’t say we’re fasci-
nated by luxury, but we do see the potential
of what we call “speculative luxury” as a way
to connect to these values.’ So what exactly is
speculative luxury? Motogi looks to DDAA’S
back catalogue for examples. One way to
explore the concept, he says, is to invert the
relationship between hardware and decora-
tive finishes in an interior. The designers
might plate cheap screws, bolts and scaf-
folding pipes – elements that are often
hidden – with 18-carat gold, for example,
or present LAN cables as if they’re sacred
objects in an art gallery, protected behind a
layer of glass. Such material rebellion has »
DDAA’s projects for Nike employ one
main material to great effect. In the
S/S 2018 presentation of the Nikelab
x Undercover Gyakusou line, a wavy
mirrored surface suggests the motion
of running.
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