Born and raised on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Sou Fujimoto is one of his country’s most famous architects. His work is heavily influenced by organic and natural structures, and the houses and buildings he’s created over the years have been inspired by anything from flowers to shells to caves. We featured Sou as part of an article about the architects who, since 2000, have been commissioned to design The Serpentine Pavilion in London. His “Cloud Pavilion,” constructed in 2013, was a lattice of white steel poles which almost appeared to be floating in the air. Sou has designed structures all over the world, including the House of Hungarian Music in Budapest and Naoshima Pavilion in Kagawa.
