Clarity and Complexity

Abstract

Many architects pursue consistent themes that can be adjusted to any site or building type, while others take a fresh approach to every project, giving each a distinctive expression. FOBA, the firm that Katsu Umebayashi established on the outskirts of Kyoto in 1994, has a foot in both camps. Continuity of space and respect for context are always evident, but the forty-year-old architect eschews a signature style or concept. “I always want to try something unconventional,” he observes, “otherwise, why take on a job at all? It should be new every time.”