TIME Magazine

World’s Greatest Places 2019

The National Museum of Qatar

In the Persian Gulf, a desert rose forms when sand adheres to the crystals created by the slow evaporation of salt basins. The resulting clusters look like interlocking discs and inspired Jean Nouvel’s design of the National Museum of Qatar, which sprawls along the waterfront of the capital, Doha. The destination museum opened in March and uses immersive video screens and dioramas to take visitors on a mile-long journey through the peninsula’s history, from geology to pearl diving to Bedouin life and finally back to geology—namely, to… Read more

INDESIGN MAGAZINE #78

Paul McGillick

Koichi Takada Architects’ interiors for the new National Museum of Qatar exude a visceral beauty that is breathtaking in their impact and imagination.

A recent success story of Australian architecture has been the rapid rise of Koichi Takada Architects (KTA), headed up by Japanese-born and trained Koichi Takada. Unlike many practices, KTA made a relatively quick transition from individual residentials to large-scale projects. That they negotiated the steep learning curve was no doubt due in large measure to Takada’s relentless work ethic, instilled in him by his rigorous, and sometimes brutal, Japanese training.
… Read more

Architizer

20 August 2019

by Nathaniel Bahadursingh

Scooping virtually every accolade available in the 7th Annual A+Awards, Koichi Takada Architects’ Arc is nothing short of magnificent. It took home both the Jury and Popular Choice awards in the High-rise Multi-Unit Housing category and is one of five buildings honoured with the 2019 A+ Awards Project of the Year title. Located in Sydney, Australia, this elegant mixed-use residential tower comprises 26 floors of apartments, boutique hotel rooms and retail spaces spanning the width of an entire city block.

What sets Arc apart is how it employs innovative contemporary design while paying homage to the heritage of its environment. The… Read more

ARCHITECTURE AU

16 August 2019

by Desk AAU

The winners of the 2019 Think Brick Awards, which celebrate excellence in the use of clay brick, concrete masonry and roof tiles by architects and designers, have been announced at a gala dinner at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne.

Elizabeth McIntyre, Think Brick Australia CEO, said the winners were some of the most daring designs the awards had seen.

“The architects’ use of brick, masonry and roof tiles in their designs highlights how these materials are front of mind in contemporary Australian design,” she said.

In a repeat of last year,… Read more

Domain

16 August 2019

by Kate Jones

The star of Sydney-based architect Koichi Takada is definitely rising. Takada is working on some of Australia’s most prestigious projects and being summoned to lend his talents to various international projects.

Takada collaborated with renowned French architect Nouvel, who designed the museum exterior. The result is a complex assortment of buildings topped by round, disk-like roofs placed at varying angles.

Nouvel says the design was inspired by the desert rose, a flower-like aggregate of mineral crystals, found in the arid coastal regions of Qatar.

“Taking the desert rose as… Read more

Architizer

2 August 2019

by Nathaniel Bahadursingh

We can’t get enough of brick. It’s a timeless material that adds texture, color, and character to cityscapes that are often dominated by monochromatic, glass and metal façades. Across the winners of the 7th Annual A+Awards, there a number of beautiful brick infused gems from both concepts to fully realized structures. They showcase the innovative ways brick can be used at all scales.

Below is a collection of Jury and Popular Choice Winners that appreciate brick just as much as we do:

Arc by KOICHI TAKADA ARCHITECTS, Sydney, Australia
2019 A+ Awards Jury and Popular Vote… Read more

holzmagazin

May 2019 Issue

TROPFSTEINHÖHLE

Das australische Studio Koichi Takada Architects hat im Nationalmuseum von Katar in Doha zwei höhlenartige Souvenirläden aus gewellten Holzoberfl ächen fertiggestellt. Sie sollen die organische Form des von Stararchitekten Jean Nouvel entworfenen Museums ergänzen, das im März eröffnet wurde. Für den Innenausbau wurden insgesamt 40.000 Holzprofi le verwendet, die mithilfe von 3D-Modellen entworfen wurden. Die Holzschichten erstrecken sich wie Stalagmiten in einer Höhle und bilden Säulen und Regale. Oberlichter geben den Blick auf die Außenwände des Museums frei. Das Studio gewann 2012 einen internationalen Wettbewerb für die Gestaltung der Innenräume des Museums, welche neben… Read more

ÅVONTUURA

4th July 2019

by Karl van Es

In preparing lists such as these, a common theme tends to appear that speaks to the ethos that exists between architect and building. With Australia, that theme is without a doubt nature, and the intrinsic relationship Australian architects have with their landscape. Modern architecture and its deliberate separation from nature will have its place in the architectural history of the country but Australia’s raw, overpowering beauty is inspiring a new generation of architects who are defining a refreshingly new contemporary vernacular on the streets and countryside.

If you missed our post… Read more

Indesign Live

02 July 2019

Pia Sinha

Koichi Takada Architects is best known for pushing people’s perception of architecture. Case in point: Arc by Koichi Takada Architects (KTA) is the proud recipient of the Editors’ Gold Mark and an Honourable Mention (The Multi-Residential Building category) in the INDE.Awards 2019.

With an arched façade that softens the topography of Sydney’s urban environment, the building distinguishes terraced residential living within the city’s commercial hub. It also supports amenity and community through a beautifully designed atrium.

For full feature, click here

  … Read more

The Japan Times

16 June 2019

by Juliette Olah

Koichi Takada’s career began with a river. The Tokyo-born architect grew up in the 1970s, living a stone’s throw from the scenic banks of the Tama River in the west of the capital. Takada spent his youth enjoying nature, catching shellfish or koi and releasing them back into the river.

However, the formidable grip of postwar urbanization was palpable in the city. As a child, Takada observed as skyscrapers, train stations and modern infrastructure emerged against the backdrop of the placid rice fields and water systems near his home.

“(The)… Read more