ADF (NPO Aoyama Design Forum) will hold "NATURE’S TREASURES"exhibition by Studio ITO as the 26th art exhibition "ADF Art Gallery Project" from December 18 (Mon) to December 20 (Wed), 2023.

Nature’s Treasures: Celebrating Earth’s Natural Resources is Ito’s research agenda into sustainability, resilience, energy consumption and its production for the built environment. He critically analyses, articulate and questions the spatial and architectural implication that is inherently linked to the extraction and commodification of natural resources globally and the role of architecture, planning and design in shaping the future of our world. The intention is through the work to help generate awareness and deeper understanding of how we use the scarce resources and be conscious in becoming stewards of our own planet. As a society, we must all think and be actively engaged in what is an international agenda that will be the most critical issue in the 21st century. The series of work is part of a lecture and exhibition series which will travel globally and be displayed in the UK, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, China and will commence from Japan.

Profile
Sho Ito is a registered architect, author, researcher and educator based in the UK and the founder of Studio ITO (Interdisciplinary Thought Operations) a design and research studio working with large-scale housing developments in Cambodia, café renovations in London to private homes in Tokyo. Ito graduated with the Norman Foster Prize from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, where renowned architects Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers, Rem Koolhaas, Cedric Price and many more graduated and taught.

AA is the world’s oldest private architectural institution known for its experimental and avant-garde pedagogy, however more recently known for leading discussion and dialogue around the urgency of climate change and carbon footprint that architecture generates. AA is the first architectural institution in the world which is quantifying their carbon footprint usage to understand the implications of its own condition to strategically implement solutions to streamline and ensure efficient use of energy, space and materials which directly impacts the mentality of students and academic within the institution. In part of this agenda, AA is actively taking a role in curating exhibitions, symposiums and lectures series within the school and internationally to generate awareness of the impact of human habitation.

Ito has extensive experience and knowledge in both the academic and architectural industry, having previously worked at Stirling Prize-winning offices, Rogers Stirk Harbour+Partner, Hopkins Architect, dRMM (de Rike, Marsh, Morgan) and AHMM (Allford Hall Monaghan Morris) in the UK across the commercial sector. In conjunction with practice, Ito currently teach both Bachelor and Master of Architecture at the Architectural Association School. He has previously taught at the University of Cambridge, University of Westminster, Nottingham Trent University and has been invited as a guest critique, given workshops and seminars at various institutions globally whilst work widely published on different platforms and publications.

“NATURE’S TREASURES” Exhibition Overview
Date: Dec 18(Mon) to Dec 20(Wed), 2023
Opening hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (*13:00 - on the first day)
Venue: GARDE Gallery (ALLIANCE Building 4F, 5-2-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Admission free
Website : www.s-ito.co.uk
Instagram: studio__ito