frontoffice is based in Tokyo and Toronto. The office grew from the shared interests of 4 PhD students studying architecture and urban planning at the University of Tokyo. With backgrounds in real estate, urban planning and architecture, the group began their professional careers in Japan at offices including Fumihiko Maki and Isozaki Arata before coming together to start frontoffice.
Our approach to design takes many of its lessons from a deep study of Tokyo itself. The most significant challenge of our time is to creatively respond to change in the cities (and in the countryside) around the world, and we are focused on developing new ways to live in our changing environment. The architecture and urban plans that emerge from that effort do not conform to a particular style.
Always creating pragmatic and comfortable places, we are interested in architecture that builds on the attributes of its location, whether it is in the middle of Tokyo, in a village in Belgium, or the Canadian countryside. Placing innovation at the centre of our work, we are also active with digital fabrication and the circular economy. We are building with all wood structures, including large CLT buildings, and have a long history of breathing new life into old and underused buildings and areas.
