Designing Places for People to Meet

A Lecture by Japanese Architect Manabu Chiba
Co-organized by The Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University, The Japan Foundation, Toronto, and The Centre for Canadian Architecture

Celebrated Japanese architect Manabu Chiba’s vision encompasses projects of all scales, from huge public buildings to small private homes. What links his diverse designs is the idea of spaces as “meeting places” designed to facilitate interaction between people.

In his first public talk in Toronto, Manabu Chiba will explain his approach to the design of public buildings and housing, with an emphasis on creating void spaces within cities to facilitate place-to-place and person-to-person relationships. He will focus on the professional practice of architecture, and on the ways in which civic buildings are both designed and used throughout Japan with reference to some of his most admired projects including the Japan Guide Dog Center (2006), Otaki Town Hall (2012), Kogakuin University (2012),  and the Tsuruga Multipurpose Centre (2014).

Biography

Manabu Chiba is the founding principal of Chiba Manabu Architects in Tokyo. The firm  builds projects ranging in size from government offices and residential complexes, to schools and private homes. He has received several major accolades, including the Award of Merit in the 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards. Mr. Chiba teaches in the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo, from which he holds both a Bachelor and Master of Architecture. His firm’s work has been published in Manabu Chiba (Equal Books, 2014) and Rule of the Site (Toto, 2006).

Image: Kogakuin University 125th Memorial Education Center