journal vol.004 old & new：architectural exploration

Institut français de Tokyo was built in 1951.
The original design was by Junzo Sakakura, an architect who studied under Le Corbusier, a master of modern architecture.
On the other hand, the new school building, Village as Institute, completed in 2021, was designed by the up-and-coming architect Sousuke Fujimoto.
In the season of fresh green, let's explore the old and new modern architecture of the symbolic color of white with mizuiro ind.

The "Village as Institute," a new school building with large windows and an exterior staircase, is graphically designed to allow you to walk around the "Village".

The old school building was expanded in 1962.
You can see the attention to detail in the solid wood railings, brass handrails, and modern stained glass in the windows.

The double spiral staircase, known as "Sakakura's Tower," has beautiful organic curves like the inside of a conch shell. Soft light pours in through the skylight.

Institut français de Tokyo

Kagurazaka, which flourished as a red-light district in the old days, still retains its intricate alleys and cobblestone streets. Walking up a narrow slope from Sotobori Street along the Kanda River to a residential area, you can see a white modern building with a projecting roof and uniquely shaped columns.

Institut français de Tokyo was established in 1952 as an official institution of the French government to promote cultural exchange between Japan and France.

The Kagurazaka area is sometimes called the "Paris of Tokyo" because the streetscape is reminiscent of Montmartre, and it is said that the area began with Institut français de Tokyo. This facility, which has a history of more than 70 years, is deeply rooted in this area and is well known.

The old school building, which was completed in 1951, was designed by Junzo Sakakura, a Japanese architect who studied under architect Le Corbusier and practiced modernist architecture. In the 1930s, he worked at Le Corbusier's atelier for about nine years, with two trips home, and participated in the design of the Japan Pavilion at the Paris Universal Exposition, winning the Grand Prix in the architecture category in 1937 and gaining worldwide recognition. After that, he returned to Japan. After World War II, he worked on projects such as Institut français de Tokyo and the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Art, and became a leading figure in mid-century Japanese architecture and design, from furniture and housing to urban planning.

Institut français de Tokyo is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Sakakura's architecture. The exterior has pure white walls and a linear design reminiscent of the influence of Le Corbusier. Japanese aesthetics were also incorporated into this design and it is simple yet beautiful and functional, with thorough attention to detail. On the way up the hill, you can see the balcony columns with bulging tops. This is one of the symbols of the facility, which Sakakura nicknamed "Champignon" because of its mushroom-like shape. The Sakakura Tower, located in the center of the L-shaped school building, is also a symbolic feature, known for its spiral staircase with light shining through a skylight. It has the same structure as the double spiral staircase at the Château de Chambord in the Loire region, said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci, and is cleverly designed to separate the two lines of flow without allowing people going up and down to pass each other.

In 2021, a new "Village as Institute" was built across the courtyard from the old school building. The architect who designed it, Sosuke Fujimoto, is well known in France, having designed the housing complex "L'Arbre blanc" (White Tree) in Montpellier in 2019. The new school building is inspired by a village in the south of France. Multiple classrooms facing a courtyard are connected by terraces and corridors and people can freely access and explore like walking through a village.

Institut français de Tokyo is a timeless harmony of two architectures, as if the old and the new architecture are in dialogue. The beautiful design will be inherited, restored and renovated, while being carefully protected and updated to fit the modern times.

This modern and timeless style is also in line with mizuiro ind's spirit of creating clothes that people will remember for a long time.

Institut français de Tokyo
15 Ichigaya Funagawaramachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8415
www.institutfrancais.jp/tokyo/

STAFF
photo : Saki Yagi
styling : Mana Yamamoto
hair & make-up : Masayoshi Okudaira
model : SUZI
text & edit : Naoko Sasaki