Architect Toyo Ito has donated his archive of architectural works to the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), an international research institution and museum focused on increasing the accessibility of architectural knowledge. Toyo Ito is now contributing to the CCA Collection, which contains over 200 archival holdings, following his intention to encourage new research into his work and to put it in dialogue with other artifacts held by the institution. On December 6, 2023, the early works of the architect have arrived at the CCA.
The donation includes works produced by Ito’s Tokyo-based office between 1971 and 1995, showcasing the works of his early career. In 1971, Ito founded his studio, Urban Robot, later renamed Toyo Ito & Associates. His conceptual contributions often remarked for their lightness and openness, were expressed through private housing projects that showcased aspects of urban life in Japan. The donation includes Ito’s first design created in 1971, the Aluminium House (URBOT-001), the Useless Capsule House (URBOT-002), and the House at Koganei (1979).
The CCA is an architectural museum and research center I have the utmost trust in. Upon this donation, I received requests from many Japanese architects and researchers, asking if it is possible to keep those archives in Japan. However, I have the confidence that CCA offers unparalleled accessibility for future researchers from around the world to study my works. — Toyo Ito
As a preparatory phase, in 2018, the CCA initiated its "Meanwhile in Japan" conversations, aiming to document and learn from the works of architects. Hiroshi Hara, Itsuko Hasegawa, and Toyo Ito opened their archives to a group of young architects and scholars, who engaged in long conversations around the different readings of their archives. These conversations resulted in the CCA Singles book series. Video interviews and discussions with Ito ensued, mirroring the Find and Tell program.
Much of our work originates in the collection, both in our curatorial practice—selecting and applying a contemporary lens to collection material in order to discuss issues of present and future relevance—and in our activity as a research center—seeking ways to multiply the connections and relationships within this body of material, making it as widely accessible as possible, and facilitating dynamic interpretations of the history of our environment. — Giovanna Borasi, Director and Chief Curator of the CCA
Numerous other archives donated to the CCA are on their way, promising to facilitate the emergence of new ideas, relationships, investigations, and interpretations. Noteworthy among these are the archival materials of Bernard Tschumi, Gandelsonas & Agrest, and Studio Works. In a recent interview for ArchDaily, Toyo Ito delves deeper into some of his most famous designs, including the Sendai Mediatheque, Serpentine Gallery of 2002, and National Taichung Theater. Here, he discusses the common thread that unites these designs, the consistent commitment to erasing the border between inside and outside, and the relaxed spatial divisions between the various programs within.
