a hotel-like revolving door and double-
height entrance hall clad in flamboyant
mosaic tiles. ‘Despite the tackiness,’ says
Motogi, ‘I felt envious of the hyper-excite-
ment of that time. It seemed to me that they
put all their energy into making the building.
Somehow these grand and flashy features
felt extremely rich because they weren’t cho-
sen for their appropriateness, reasonability
or cost-efficiency.’
The architect’s first instinct was to
remove all traces of ostentation. He wanted
to conceal the walls behind coats of white
paint and to dismantle the revolving door.
Instead, DDAA chose to ‘positively recon-
sider the showy and decorative design’ of
the bubble-economy period, asking how
the entrance hall could be enjoyed today as
it was originally. The team’s answer was to
create friction and harmony in the existing
hall by introducing new elements, such as
a subdued grey palette that softens former
contrasts. ‘A visual impression of the same
colour changes in relation to what is placed
next to it,’ says Motogi. ‘Although this is a
typical approach in graphic design, we feel it
is also an effective approach to architecture- to utilize and enjoy the existing building
as much as possible without negating it.’
What does Motogi see as the role
of architects in this day and age? Are they
destined to live out their lives as Renaissance
men? ‘That’s a difficult question,’ he says, add-
ing that drastic advances in technology may
dramatically alter human life in the coming
decade. With that in mind, DDAA is currently
working on new projects with start-ups and
incorporating AI into its repertoire. ‘On the
other hand, the good thing about architecture
is that the time axis is so long it won’t change
too quickly. I want to design a well-balanced
combination of new things and things that
don’t change at all.’ ●
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