About the Studio Building
CREARE Atami–Yugawara Studio is situated on an expansive site of approximately 13,000 square meters at the foot of Hakone, one of Japan’s leading hot spring destinations. Designed by architect KUMA Kengo, the studio is equipped with a glaze research facility, a firing sample room, a Stained Glass studio, a showroom, and other specialized facilities.
Using the finest materials, including antique glass made in Germany, artists and studio artisans work together to create art that brings a sense of ease and vitality to people’s lives. The studio also manages an extensive collection of approximately 6,500 glaze colors and conducts research and production in Public Art, including Ceramic Relief and Stained Glass.
With an environment and facilities befitting a world-class studio, CREARE Atami–Yugawara Studio will continue to welcome many artists and develop an increasingly open and collaborative approach to art production.
KUMA Kengo / On the Design of the Studio
When I first visited this valley in Yugawara, I felt that it was precisely the kind of place suited to creativity in a new era.
Architecture built on a ridge may appear monumental, rising upon the ridge as though it were a pedestal. Yet its relationship with the surrounding environment is often limited. Each building tends to stand in isolation, making it difficult for the buildings to interact with one another.
Architecture built in a valley, by contrast, may be less conspicuous as an individual structure, but the environment as a whole becomes interconnected. In harmony with the stream flowing through its center, it creates an intimate and richly layered space that seems to envelop those within it. The site we selected was exactly such a place—a rare environment ideally suited to the creativity of the future.
Various new elements will undoubtedly be added to this richly layered valley, and a diverse range of activities will unfold here. A valley is an infinitely generous space, capable of embracing them all.
I wanted the architecture itself to embody the same qualities of diversity and generosity.
