This presentation focuses on one of the most enigmatic and poetic architectural projects in recent memory: the Biotop Garden by junya.ishigami+associates. A landscape-architecture hybrid that blurs boundaries between nature and design, Biotop Garden embodies the studio’s deeply conceptual and immersive approach to architecture.

junya.ishigami+associates is widely recognized as one of the most innovative and influential architecture studios working today. Established in 2004 by Junya Ishigami, the office quickly rose to prominence with the completion of the KAIT Workshop at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology in 2007—a transparent forest of slender columns that redefined the possibilities of structure and space. This early breakthrough marked the beginning of a singular trajectory defined by dreamlike forms, radical experimentation, and a sensitivity to the environment.

The studio was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Project at the 12th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, further cementing its international reputation. More recently, Ishigami’s design for the 2019 Serpentine Pavilion—a slate canopy emerging from the ground like a rocky landscape—captivated audiences with its mysterious and elemental presence.

Against this backdrop, Biotop Garden continues the office’s exploration of architecture as an extension of the natural world. In this presentation, we will delve into the conceptual underpinnings, design strategies, and cultural significance of the project, situating it within Ishigami’s broader oeuvre and the contemporary discourse on landscape and architecture.