AsiaGSD Lecture: Alastair Townsend, “The Upside of Down: Building a Home in Japan”

Alastair Townsend holds a diploma from London’s Architectural Association School of Architecture, where he also served as an elected AA Council member. In 2009 he relocated to Tokyo and co-founded the architectural practice BAKOKO. The office completed its first house in 2012: the Onjuku Surf Shack. He has collaborated with Japan Architect and A+U magazines, for whom he was former editor of the website JA+U and author of the 20-year retrospective JA 100 Works.

His article “Why Japan is Crazy About Housing” was Archdaily’s most read article in 2013. In this lecture, he will discuss BAKOKO’s work in the context of Japan’s idiosyncratic homebuilding industry – its counterintuitive economics; response to natural disasters; widespread robotic prefabrication; and the traditions it preserves despite industrialisation.

Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office two weeks in advance at 617 496 2414 or [email protected]

AsiaGSD

Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the Public Programs Office at (617) 496-2414 or [email protected].

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