Background of Klein Dytham Architecture

Name:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Klein Dytham Architecture
Klein Dytham architecture is a multi-disciplinary design practice that works freely across disciplines including architecture, interiors, installations, furniture, events, and consultancy. The company’s build work includes flagship retail stores, private residences, restaurants, offices, and resort facilities. It was founded in 1991 by Royal College of Art graduates, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. Astrid was born in Italy, schooled in France, and educated in Britain with a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art. She has held lecturing positions at universities in Japan, Australia, the USA, the UK, and throughout Europe. Mark studied architecture at the Royal College of Art and is a frequent guest speaker at global design events. He also lectures at universities in Japan and was awarded an MBE for his contributions to British Design in Japan. After studying together in London, Astrid and Mark travelled to Japan for a three-month tour but decided to stay longer and start their own architecture practice. The co-founders of Klein Dytham architecture were drawn by the country’s simplicity of design, acceptive attitude to new designs, and attention to detail. Astrid and Mark first worked with architect Toyo Ito for two years before establishing their own architecture firm (Echo Chamber).
Five years after the founding of Klein Dytham architecture, Yukinari Hisama joined the company as the head architect. Hisama has a Bachelors degree from Yokohama National University and is a licensed architect and interior designer. As the lead architect, Hisama is involved in all phases of the design process from materials to constructions. He also teaches at Kuwasawa Design School and Kanto Gakuin University. Taking the best architectural forms from the east and west, Klein Dytham architecture seeks to integrate different cultures to come up with new and appropriate designs. Klein Dytham architecture has managed to attract a high-profile client list such as Google, Sony, Selfridges, and Shisedo. Some of the company’s award-winning designs that have gone ahead to become landmarks include Ginza Place (2016), PokoPoko Clubhouse (2020), Cartier Façade Osaka (2021), Daikanyama T-SITE bookstore (2011), and Open House (2017).
Cartier Façade Osaka (2021)
Ginza Place (2016)
PokoPoko Clubhouse (2020)
Daikanyama T-SITE bookstore (2011)
Open House (2017)
Klein Dytham architecture is the recipient of several architecture awards such as the World Architecture Festival Awards, D&AD Awards, American Retail Environment Awards, and Wallpaper Design Awards and Design for Asia.
The practice does not have any stylistic recipes but works with the client and project demands to develop unique and aesthetic architectural solutions. Some of the key elements in the firm’s continuous search for new designs that meet clients’ specific needs include materials, technology, color, and humor. Each project uses different materials, design features, and surface treatments. However, by combining innovation with play in all these diverse works, Klein Dytham’s projects are not only visually appealing to its largely commercial clients but also relatable to those outside the profession (Kafka). For instance, the Billboard Building (2004) in Tokyo applies an eye-catching line of green street-side trees to create a playful and aesthetic design.
Billboard Building (2004)
This unique and playful approach is typified in other projects such as Koban (2012), which entails a simple box building and a large steel parapet with rainbow gradation decoration on the inside, and Sin Den (2007), which is decorated using a large mural (a scribbling elaborating the business’s logo).
Koban (2012)
Sin Den (2007)
These graphical designs are part of Klein Dytham’s repertoire in terms of both design and necessity. Upon arriving in Japan in 1988, Astrid and Mark were the first foreigners to venture into the country’s architecture scene. Rather than clarifying what they wanted to do in Japanese, the duo worked to create projects that spoke for themselves.
As a foreign multi-disciplinary design practice, Klein Dytham architecture has also aimed at cultural crossover and merging of Eastern and Western architectural ideas. Maintaining both perspectives gives the company an opportunity to create new and appealing designs that speak to playful and colorful architectural tastes. For instance, Ginza Place, an important commercial development in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district, embodies the firm’s notable characteristics of diversity, humor, and originality. Klein Dytham architecture was tasked with designing a façade and building massing that reflected neighboring architecture and embodied the liveliness of the famous intersection while still retaining the urbane character of the shopping district (Archello).
Ginza Place (2016)
When designing the façade, the firm borrowed the sukashibori latticework design found in traditional Japanese crafts like tableware and baskets. The panel system was extrapolated to match the scope of the building and neighboring architecture. For instance, the façade is split into a vertical extension at the top, a tall middle section, and a short podium to create a dramatic appearance of vertical movement.
This feature is not only visually appealing but also puts the building in direct alignment with the eminent Seiko clock tower across the intersection. The division of the paneled façade into three parts references the height of neighboring structures while still keeping in touch with the community: the short podium where the pattern is smallest is meant to create a mor...