In April 2005, “New Trends of Architecture” returned to Hillside Terrace, Tokyo where the project was born. Its opening and symposium looked like some meetings of alumni association. The Japanese commissioners and architects who participated in the previous two editions came together to welcome new participants from Europe and Asia-Pacific. At the opening reception, about 150 people including diplomats from European embassies and institutions who have supported the “New Trends” project, and Mr. Hakuo Yanagisawa, Chairman of the Japan Committee and Ms. Sylvia Kofler, Head of Press, Public and Cultural Affairs of the Delegaton of the European Commission to Japan made opening remarks.. As part of the “2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges” programs, “New Trends” is one of the most successful EU-Japan exchange programs which have ever taken place since the “Decade of EU-Japan Cooperation” started in 2001.
The symposium entitled “New Problematic in Architecture” took place on April 23 with the Japanese three commissioners, Mr. Fumihiko Maki, Mr. Toyo Ito and Mr. Hiroshi Hara. Mr. Maki talked about Kenzo Tange and modernism to open the symposium and Ito commented the possibilities and tasks of the “New Trends” project to close the whole day long discussions. The participating architects were grouped to three sessions, “Individual Sphere: Spatial Transformation and New Individuals”, “Responsive Structure: Architecture and Cities”, “Social Performance: Dynamic Society and Speed of Architecture”, each session was moderated by the Japanese host architects, Mr. Sey Takeyama, Mr. Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Mr. Nobuaki Furuya.

It is remarkable that “New Trends” has attracted much attention not only in the architectural world but also in a broad social context.
It is our honor that the Foreign Correspondents’ Club invited Prof. Hiroshi Hara and Mr. Dominique Perrault, Co-Commissioners for New Tretnds to the Professional Luncheon to speak to the members. The FCCJ was founded immediately following the end of World War 2 by journalists who came to Tokyo and has a membership of 450 correspondents who report for 150 world newspapers, international news media. The FCCJ regularly hosts a wide range of speakers, including leading politicians, diplomats, heads of corporations and leading figures from the arts, music, sports and entertainment worlds.
Unfortunately, Mr. Perrault could not attend it as he was obliged to suddenly cancel his trip to Japan for his family’s illness, but Mr. Shane O’Tolle, New Trends honorary member from Ireland, and Mr. Stefano Pujatti, ELASTICO, Italy, filled his shoes splendidly along with Prof. Hara.
They talked about the fusion and sharing of ideas and philosophy in architecture between east and west, as well as the possibilities that architecture affords cities and nurtures a futuristic vision of the urban landscape.

If the “New Trends” project were distinguished from many other architectural events in Tokyo, one of the reasons would be this university lecture program. As in the previous editions, 16 universities participated in the program to invite overseas architects to give a lecture for students as below:

April 22:

Toyo University

(Prof. Kazumi Kudo)

April 25:

Kanagawa Unviersity

(Prof. Kyoko Yamaga)

Kokushikan University

(Prof. George Kunihiro)

Keio University

(Prof. Kengo Kuma)

Chiba University

(Prof. Motomu Uno)

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Musashino Art University

(Prof. Akiko Takahashi / Workstation)

Hosei University

(Prof. Hidenobu Jinnai)

Waseda University

(Prof. Nobuaki Furuya)

Sendai Mediatheque

April 26:

Tokyo University of Science

April 28:

Saito IMI Graduate School

As an optional program, the Secretariat organized a bus trip to Echigo-Tsumari, Niigata, the venue for Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, in which participated some New Trends ‘graduates’: Casagrande & Rintala, John Kormeling, Peripheriques and Yung Ho Chang. Dominique Perrault is designing an open-air Noh theatre for the third Triennial, which will be held in 2006 summer.
The architects visited the architectures designed by James Turrell, Hiroshi Hara, MVRDV, Yui & Takaharu Tezuka, and a number of artworks which scattered around the large area. In Echigo-Tsumari spring just started with cherry blossoms in bloom and the land was still covered with snow. The architects had a snowball fight like children, and enjoyed the snow country’s late spring.