UC Berkeley Architecture team completes construction on winning design

UC Berkeley Architecture students win the fourth annual LIXIL design competition in Japan under the leadership of Professor Dana Buntrock with assistance from Professors Mark Anderson and Gary Black.

As first place winners the UC Berkeley Architecture team was invited to construct their proposal in Taiki-cho, Hokkaido.
The architecture team members are students Hsiu-Wei Chang, Fanzheng Dong, Yan Huang, Baxter Smith, Hsin-Yu Chen, and Max Edwards. Four members worked under the supervision of internationally renowned Kengo Kuma and Associates to develop the initial design into a set of construction documents. Several improvements were made for the final design including a more robust structural system, a stronger focus on wood construction, and the fine tuning material choices. Two members of the team, Hsiu-Wei Chang and Hsin-Yu Chen, stayed in Japan to oversee and document the construction process.

The project broke ground on September 15, 2014 and was commemorated on November 22, 2014.