The trust a client puts in an architect is directly reflected on the finished building. Try to take control of every tiny little detail and you will probably end up with a lot of good intentions, but a mixed bag of half-baked ideas. Give the architect the freedom to experiment around a good brief and your chances of ending up with something unique, pushing the boundaries of what architecture can do, are much higher.
Keiji Ashizawa’s latest residential project in Aoyama is a good example of a long and trusting relationship between a Tokyo real estate family and one of the city’s most sought-after architects. ‘I started working with the father of the family a number of years ago,’ says Ashizawa. ‘After a couple of smaller restaurants, I was asked to design a dentist’s office for the younger brother, and this led to a commission for this house for the older brother and his family.’
