This is a collective post of photography done during a Spring Break trip to Japan by students in the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. The seminar is called "Japanese Craft & Construction" and is organized by Dana Buntrock. You can reach me directly at DanaB@Berkeley.edu if you would like more information or to confirm permissions.

In 2009, student research focused on four projects in Utsunomiya, built for Tokyo Gas. Called "SUMIKA," these projects were directed by Toyo Ito, who also designed a wood pavilion. Mr. Ito selected three other architects of disparate ages to design three free-standing residential structures. The most senior was Terunobu FUJIMORI, the youngest was Sou FUJIMOTO, and a third architect, in his 40s, was Taira NISHIZAWA.

Students interviewed the architects and others who collaborated on design, including engineers and fabricators, and also traveled throughout the nation of Japan to see other works by the architects they researched.