The Ace Hotel Group has announced it will open its first property in Japan, with architect Kengo Kuma commissioned to design a “monument to the beauty and unique legacy of Kyoto”, transforming the city’s 92-year-old former Central Telephone Office. The company has partnered with the Japanese NTT Urban Development Corporation to open the Ace Hotel Kyoto in winter 2019. Located on the former grounds of the imperial palace, the project

Japanese architecture giants Nikken Sekkei have partnered with construction firm Sumitomo Forest to create the world’s tallest wooden skyscraper, which they hope will inspire the transformation of “cities into forests” around the globe. Located in central Tokyo, the timber tower, tentatively called the W350, is set to be completed by 2041 to celebrate Sumitomo Forest’s 350th anniversary – a milestone that has informed its anticipated height of 350m (1,148ft). The

The Pritzker-winning architect Shigeru Ban has completed the dramatic Mount Fuji World Heritage Center in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, with a design that mimics the famous dormant volcano. Located 20 miles southwest of the natural landmark, Ban’s 3,400sq m (36,500sq ft) facility is formed by an inverted latticed timber cone, that appears mountainous when seen in the large reflecting pool at the front of the complex. Inside, exhibitions tell the story

Hotel giant Marriott International has signed a deal with Malaysia-based YTL Hotels as continues its expansion into the Asian luxury market. The deal will see the pair develop new hotels across Asia – one of the fastest growing sectors in the global hospitality industry. During an official ceremony held at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, the two companies agreed to develop two luxury hotels in Malaysia under the JW Marriott and

London architects Sybarite have collaborated with a Japanese fashion giant Onward Holdings to create an authentic Japanese soba noodle restaurant overlooking the River Thames. Located on The Strand, Yen invites diners “to step off the busy street into an all-encompassing Japanese experience” created by the design team using Japanese materiality, design cues and construction techniques. The concept of the design is built around Japanese cultural interpretations of nature and space,

Sports and leisure architects Populous have announced the opening of a new office in Tokyo as the firm continues its global expansion. The decision to establish an office in Japan expands Populous’ global footprint to 15 branches worldwide, including six in the Asia-Pacific region. The organisation now has more than 500 employees around the globe. “Japan offers a wealth of opportunity with its strong culture, burgeoning sports scene and as

A Japanese-inspired hotel spa in Germany, billed as the country’s first, has opened among Bavaria’s Alpine peaks. Located in the town of Rottach-Egern, which sits alongside Lake Tegernsee, the Mizu Onsen Spa is inspired by Japanese minimalism – with clean lines, a neutral colour palette and subtle lighting – allowing guests to fully connect with their senses. German practice rgp architekten and New York studio Design MW have used locally-sourced

Yayoi Kusama – the Japanese artist famed for her use of repetitive patterns and bold colours – has announced the opening of her own art museum, in Tokyo, Japan. The five-storey museum building, designed by architecture firm Kume Sekkei, has already been erected in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, but the purpose of the structure had been kept under wraps. Two of the storeys will be devoted to exhibiting Kusama’s

The colours of the changing seasons in Japan have inspired architect Sun Tianwen to design an eye-catchingly luminous restaurant in the city of Changchun, China. The concept for the 1,300sq m (14,000sq ft) restaurant, called Setsugekka, derives from the ancient Japanese art and design tradition of the same name, which celebrates the motifs of snow, moon and flowers and the passage of time throughout the year. Sun’s restaurant, therefore, features

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from a spectacular cantilevered skybridge in Dubai to stadium seats made from palm trees. Monday • Kengo Kuma’s US$33.5m US$33.5m (€31.3m, £26.2m) expansion of Portland’s Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic of its kind gardens outside Japan, has opened to the public. Read here. • Japanese architecture practice Nikken Sekkei are designing “a timeless new

Kengo Kuma’s US$33.5m US$33.5m (€31.3m, £26.2m) expansion of Portland’s Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic of its kind gardens outside Japan, has opened to the public. The project, Kuma’s first public commission in the US, has seen the creation of a new Cultural Village that provides additional space to accommodate the attraction’s rapid visitor growth and immerses visitors in traditional Japanese arts and culture. To honor the

Plans have been announced to open an anime and manga theme park on an island in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, with the attraction to be based on popular titles Hi no Tori (Phoenix) and Crayon Shin-chan. Dubbed Nijigen No Mori – which translates to ‘Anime Forest’ – Pasona Group will operate the attraction in Awajishima Koen park on Awajishima island. Utilising the area’s natural beauty, along with the latest visual technologies,

Torontonians have flocked to the city’s beach in record numbers to experience the unveiling of eight brand new Winter Stations installations along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. The creators of the attractions, who were chosen in a design competition, were tasked with designing “playful” structures – based around the beaches’ lifeguard stations – capable of drawing people into the chilly outdoors to interact with the icy environment. The installations include

David Rockwell has designed Starwood’s first Luxury Collection hotel in Tokyo – an “ethereal dream-like environment” that has now opened in the historic heart of the Japanese capital. The designer’s vision for The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho was inspired by “the sprawling sky and kaleidoscopic colours of the surrounding city,” which the hotel overlooks from its position across the top seven floors of the new 36-storey Tokyo Garden Terrace tower

Situated in Tokyo’s business district, the latest offering from hotel and resort operator Hoshinoya Resorts, Hoshinoya Tokyo, features a spa and top floor natural hot spring. Designed by Azuma Architect & Associates and created by large-scale construction specialists Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei, the 17-storey, 84 room hotel is the city’s first luxury ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), offering traditional Japanese culture combined with high-level hospitality. Each floor of the hotel replicates a

The life and art of the famous Japanese painter and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai is celebrated in a new Tokyo museum, design by SANAA’s Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kazuyo Sejima. The Sumida Hokusai Museum, located in the ward of the same name, is the sculptural home for over 18,000 works created by Hokusai and his apprentices over 200 years ago, including the artist’s most famous work – ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa'.

Construction work has kicked off on Tokyo’s new National Stadium, the Kengo Kuma-designed stage for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. The design by the Japanese architect was chosen to replace Zaha Hadid Architects’ original scheme – ostensibly due to the rising cost of that project – in December 2015, and received the green light two months ago. Kuma’s stadium is estimated to cost 150bn yen ($1.5bn, €1.3bn, £1.1bn) to build.

The Japanese government has approved a 150bn yen ($1.5bn, €1.3bn, £1.1bn) contract allowing work to begin on Kengo Kuma’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium. Construction is scheduled to begin in December. The government-funded Japan Sport Council (JSC), which is overseeing the project, estimates that construction will be completed at the end of November 2019 – five months behind the original schedule. New Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would closely monitor

by Kim Megson | 14 Sep 2016

Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha has been awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale global prize for architecture. The accolade – among the most valuable in the profession with prize money worth upwards of US$132,000 (€117,000, £100,000) – has been awarded annually by the Japan Art Association since 1989. Winners are also announced in the categories of painting, sculpture, music and theatre/film – areas of achievement chosen as they are not

by Kim Megson | 02 Sep 2016

A Japanese fabric manufacturer has teamed up with Kengo Kuma and Associates to demonstrate how carbon fibre curtains can protect buildings from earthquakes. Komatsu Seiren have opened a laboratory in the city of Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture, to showcase the invention – which is formed of carbon fibre mixed with a high tensile twine-like material. These curtains, or rods, spread across the structure like a curtain and tether it to the

by Kim Megson | 30 Aug 2016

The body in charge of organising Tokyo’s Olympic Games has admitted its decision to cancel Zaha Hadid Architects’ (ZHA) National Olympic Stadium design in favour of a cheaper alternative has already cost it ¥68.6bn (US$650.6m, €582.4m, £497m) in compensation payouts. According to media reports in the country, the Japan Sports Council (JSC) announced it has already earmarked the sum – ¥600m US$5.8m, €5.2m, £4.4m) higher than the amount estimated by

by Kim Megson | 23 Aug 2016

Work is nearing completion on a new Four Seasons hotel sat in an 800 year old garden in Japan’s ancient imperial capital Kyoto. The Four Seasons Kyoto, which will open on 15 October 2016, has been designed by architecture studio Kume Sekkei and interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates to reflect a “contemporary evolution of traditional Japanese style”. Inspired by traditional design elements and motifs, the guest rooms will feature

by Kim Megson | 20 Jun 2016

Western and Japanese concepts of spatial definition and materiality merge in a newly opened spa and health club in Tokyo, designed by COE Architecture International. Aqua Sports & Spa, which was completed this month for fitness operator Seta Sports Connection, is a six-storey, 6,000sq m (65,000sq ft) building in Setagaya-Ku ward. It replaces a 1980s facility, and has been designed to promote personal sports training, Japanese bathing and social activities

by Kim Megson | 16 Apr 2016

The founder of design studio Blue Sky Hospitality Henry Chebaane has told CLAD that interior designers should not be afraid of “outside the box” thinking if they are to create livelier and more authentic hotels, bars, restaurants and leisure spaces. Chebaane and his design firm, Blue Sky Hospitality, are known for their creative and unorthodox designs, and have just launched a typically quirky Asian restaurant called Kojawan on the top

by Kim Megson | 15 Apr 2016

Kengo Kuma architects have unveiled their latest completed project: an angular wooden cultural centre near the Japanese Alps in snowy Nagano prefecture. The project was commissioned to coincide with a new high-speed railway line connecting the small city of Iiyama to the Hokuriku region on Japan’s main island. Both openings have been planned to revive the city's economic prospects. Kuma’s building is formed of three volumes: two events halls for

by Kim Megson | 16 Mar 2016

SANAA partner Kazuyo Sejima has designed a mirrored express train for Japan’s Seibu Railway company which will be a unique leisure destination in its own right. The train, which will enter service in 2018, has a reflective surface that allows it to blend almost entirely into any landscape it passes. The train’s interiors are poised to be as equally significant as its ‘invisible’ facade. Sejima has been tasked with creating

by Jane Kitchen | 04 Mar 2016

Aman’s first Japanese hot springs resort, Amanemu, has opened in the idyllic setting of Ise Shima National Park on the shores of Ago Bay. Providing a rural complement to Aman Tokyo, and continuing Aman’s journey within Japan, Amanemu has adopted a classic Japanese aesthetic in the ryokan tradition with each of the 24 suites and four two-bedroom villas featuring their own onsen. Designed to be a relaxed, peaceful and contemplative