Kengo Kuma & Associates The building was constructed for the university’s new field of research on ubiquitous computing. Our aim was to break away from the conventional image of campuses that consist of hard materials such as concrete, metal, or stone, and instead design a soft building made of wood and earth. Here, scalelike panels of natural materials gently undulate to form a smooth and organic facade.
At the center of the building is an organ-like aperture covered with a soft membrane. It connects the lane in the front with the Japanese garden (part of the university president’s guest house) at the back. The opening also generates a gentle and organic flow of light and wind across the campus, which is otherwise dominated by the strict grid arrangement.

Kengo Kuma & Associates