Would it be so ambitious to say that design can change the world?
Improving society by designing for human interaction, one roof at a time.
Big change is motivating, but we don’t all wake up with Elon type visions. From a pragmatic design lens, we can start by changing one thought, one experience, or one human interaction. Which then changes clusters, tribes, and nations. It’s up to designers to spot where this change is needed. This article takes one architect’s design philosophy for inspiration to reconsider our impact on the world.
Toyo Ito is one of Japan’s most renowned architects. He is concerned that as we become more immersed in artificial, mechanized environments, we risk losing essential aspects of our humanity - our sensitivity to nature, time, and even to each other. This detachment could lead to a kind of numbness, where people no longer experience life fully or authentically. As such, his design work often explores the relationship between humans and their environment, with the aim of finding new ways to reconnect us with our innate sense of the world. Regardless of the type of design we do, we have the potential to influence interactions and behaviors. This comes with a responsibility to consider what we are designing, and an opportunity to make positive change.
Tokyo city, image by @miyatankun
I’d like to explore two examples from Ito-san’s work that illustrate how through his reflective design philosophy, his designs go beyond the building:
Sendai Mediatheque: connecting us to nature through an everyday space, and in this, reviving our senses.
Home-for-All: using architecture to connect people and support community, not just people.
1. Sendai Mediatheque - Designing the connection between humans and nature, in everyday spaces
In Ito-san’s keynote ‘To create beautiful architecture’ at the Japan Home Show and Building Show 2024 he shares:
“I have wanted to create beautiful architecture since I was young. Recently, young architects have stopped using the phrase “beautiful architecture”. They seem to think that architecture is something that is created for life and community, and not something aesthetically pleasing. To me, beautiful architecture is architecture that gives a sense of nature. Modern architecture cannot be connected to nature like the Japanese architecture of the past. This is because it has no choice but to rely on the artificial environment. However, it is possible to create architecture that makes you feel like you are in nature even when you are inside”.
The Sendai Mediatheque, one of Toyo Ito's most celebrated projects designed between 1995 and 2001, is a physical manifestation of his philosophy that architecture should reconnect people to their sensory experiences and the natural world. The building breaks away from traditional design principles that prioritize function over human experience and instead creates a fluid, open space that stimulates the senses and encourages a deeper awareness of one's surroundings.
Many architects and spatial designers use elements of nature to enhance the feeling of wellbeing, but Ito-san’s intentions are deeper - it’s to connect people to nature for the sake of keeping our senses and awareness alive. What’s inspiring to me is that he is thinking beyond the immediate ‘experience’ of the building, but towards the human condition.
Key features designed to awaken sensibilities
1. Transparency and light
The building’s façade is made almost entirely of glass, allowing natural light to flood the interior. This transparency creates a seamless connection between the interior and the exterior, blurring the boundary between the city of Sendai and the building itself. The shifting light patterns throughout the day make visitors more aware of time, weather, and seasonal changes—a direct contrast to enclosed, artificially lit environments.
2. Floating platforms and fluidity
Instead of rigid, compartmentalized floors, the Sendai Mediatheque features seven ‘floating’ platforms that appear to hover within the building. These platforms are supported by 13 irregular, organic steel tube columns, which Ito-san describes as resembling seaweed floating in water. This design evokes a sense of fluidity and weightlessness, encouraging users to move freely and interact with the space in a more intuitive way.
3. Organic columns as structural and symbolic elements
The irregular columns that soar up to the sky like trees are not only structural but symbolic - representing the organic forms found in nature that stimulate one to notice their surroundings since it’s not uniform or predictable. They also house functional systems like ventilation, lighting, and data cables, further integrating form and function in a natural, unobtrusive manner.
4. Open, adaptive spaces
Ito-san intentionally designed the Mediatheque with minimal internal walls, allowing for a flexible use of the space. This openness invites visitors to define their own experiences, fostering creativity and spontaneity. The lack of rigid boundaries also heightens users’ awareness of others, promoting social interaction and a shared experience of the space.
Ito-san recognizes the significance of staying connected to nature, not just for relaxation, but to stay grounded in what it is to be human. When we are in touch with nature, our awareness is more sensitive, we feel, observe, and reflect. All such actions are valuable in the progression of a society that cares, that is conscious of our actions, that carefully thinks how to improve, and that is inspired to explore. As designers, in a world of wicked problems, we cannot always solve problems outright, but it is our job to increase the probability of positive change.
2. Home-for-All - Designing the connection between people
In addition to connecting us with nature and our own sensibilities, Toyo Ito is also deeply concerned about how we live together. He has noticed how modern life isolates us, even when we’re surrounded by others. That’s why many of his projects focus on fostering connection. The ZA-KOENJI Public Theatre, for example is not just a place for performances; it’s a space where neighbors can gather, talk, and share experiences.
After the 2011 earthquake in Japan, he worked with a team to create Home-for-All - small communal spaces for survivors. Prompted by initial conversations with the elderly at an evacuation centre, Ito-san discovered that even though they said they had to pretty much sleep in piles, they didn’t want to relocate to temporary housing because at least they could eat and talk together. Recognizing the need, he and a small group of architects partnered with Japan’s popular points card provider ‘T-card’, and through public donations and pro-bono services, led the development of simple places where people could come together to eat, talk, and heal, and where children could play.
Read more about Home-for-All https://tsite.jp/r/donation/tohoku/architect/
Ito-san’s work reminds us that design is more than utility or aesthetics - it’s about care. It’s about creating spaces, objects, or systems that make people feel more human, more connected, and more alive. The response from his initial talk with those at the evacuation centre is such a classic example of how important it is to uncover the highest human need in a situation. Products and services cannot only serve physical needs, many needs are intangible yet highly influential on behavior. What’s beautiful about Ito-san’s work is that through his initiative, he not only connected the affected citizens, but also the nation towards a cause. It’s true that Japan is particularly good at pulling together in times of disaster, but perhaps we can be inspired that as designers, we have the opportunity to create ways to make it easier for people to act in altruistic ways. Whether we’re designing chairs, apps, or medical devices, there’s a wider context to consider, and there’s a greater goal for our designs to achieve.