Tsubame Architects

Founded in 2013 by Takuto Sando, Motoo Chiba, and Himari Nishikawa, Tsubame Architects has established itself as an award-winning practice that fundamentally reconsiders architectural processes through integrated design and research methodologies. The Tokyo-based firm, currently directed by its three founding partners, has garnered significant recognition including the 34th JIA Newcomer Award, the 48th Tokyo Architecture Award Grand Prize, and multiple Good Design Awards.

The practice operates through a distinctive dual-division framework. The DESIGN division executes spatial design and supervision, while the LAB division conducts research into project frameworks during pre-construction phases and develops utilization strategies post-completion. This cyclical methodology between divisions enables the firm to discover what they characterize as new balances in architecture, generating contextually appropriate spatial proposals. Central to Tsubame Architects' philosophy is a foundational inquiry established at each project's genesis: What kind of spaces should we be creating in this place at this time? This question-driven approach ensures collaborative premise-setting with clients, anchoring design strategies in specific temporal and spatial conditions rather than predetermined aesthetic paradigms.

Registered as a first-class architectural firm under Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Registration Number 62479, with Motoo Chiba serving as managing architect (MLIT Minister Registration Number 362313), the practice maintains rigorous professional accreditation whilst advancing experimental spatial concepts. Operating from their Setagaya office, the firm provides design and supervision services nationwide with multilingual capabilities. Their portfolio demonstrates particular excellence in public and cultural facilities, encompassing project types including community centers, roadside stations, and educational buildings.

Takuto Sando was born in Fukushima Prefecture in 1982, graduated from Yokohama National University's Faculty of Engineering in 2006, and completed his studies at Yokohama Graduate School of Architecture (Y-GSA) in 2009. Before establishing Tsubame Architects, he worked at NL Architects in the Netherlands and served at NAP Architects until 2014. Motoo Chiba was born in 1977 and accumulated extensive international experience in New York. Himari Nishikawa, as a founding partner, collaboratively shapes the firm's design direction alongside her two partners.

Through in-depth research on site specificity, innovative use of materials and temporality, and continuous exploration of cultural heritage, Tsubame Architects has established itself as a significant contributor to contemporary Japanese architectural discourse, creating architectural works that are both environmentally responsive and maintain architectural excellence. Under the continued leadership of Takuto Sando, Motoo Chiba, and Himari Nishikawa, the firm currently occupies a unique position within Japan's architectural landscape, focusing on creating architectural spaces filled with vitality that merge traditional wisdom with contemporary technology. Tsubame Architects is committed to viewing architecture as dynamic equilibrium rather than static form, continuously exploring the role architecture should play in contemporary society through their distinctive dual-division working methodology, contributing works of forward-thinking vision and cultural depth to both Japanese and international architectural communities.