Architect and Pritzker Prize winner, Toyo Ito, visited RYOZAN PARK on 24th March 2020. After his visit, he wrote a wonderful message to us which we’ve printed below.
Dear RYOZAN PARK members,
Thank you very much for hosting me and my staff the other day. We were impressed with the wonderful facilities that reflect Takezawa-san’s mission. We found the visit quite thought-provoking indeed.
We know that these days are difficult, and we all need to cope with the frustration of everyday life at the moment. Our mission is to think about how we can create comfortable, happy places for people to gather. It’s really upsetting for me as we are not allowed to do that at the moment and I am pretty sure you all feel the same way. I am convinced that you are all sharing your house and office not only for economic reasons but also with the wish to connect with other people’s hearts and minds. That wish is, in fact, essential when considering the future of city life.
While embracing how silent Tokyo is now, I also feel strongly that we are experiencing a warning from nature. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we humans are so superficial that we keep focusing on the economy and the cycles of wide-scale economic development. But our world is telling us that there is something more important than that.
I really hope that we can overcome this crisis soon. I look forward to seeing you all and enjoying time with you again.
Toyo Ito
Background
Architect Toyo Ito visited RYOZAN PARK during the time of COVID-19 in March 2020 (prior to the government’s state of emergency announcement).
RZP co-founder, Noritaka Takezawa, enrolled in Ito san’s architecture school after learning about it from his book, “The Transformation of Architecture”. It was here that he learned how to build a community and was inspired by various presentations given by the school’s teachers.
Nori also had the opportunity to travel to the Tohoku region to support the rejuvenation work after the 2011 earthquake. As a result of this, over the last 8 years, he has continued to study and learn at Ito san’s architecture school whilst creating a community that includes, a share house, share offices, co-working spaces, and an English preschool.
Later this year, in June 2020, Ito san’s architect school will organize a public event on the topic of, “How we can live in a modern society”. Nori has been invited to speak and present at the event. He will talk about growing RYOZAN PARK and the making of its community.
For more information about RYOZAN PARK facilities check out our website or get in touch [email protected]