Keiji Ashizawa

Keiji Ashizawa began his professional career in 1996, working in an architecture firm. In 2002, he officially joined the bespoke steel furniture workshop ‘super robot’, with whom he had been working in parallel to his architectural practice, striving to produce original furniture and lighting fixtures. In 2005, he became independent and founded Keiji Ashizawa Design, whose motto is “Honest Design.” In 2011, he frequently visited the city of Ishinomaki to support the recovery of friends affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The idea was to create a system that would make it easier not only for themselves but also for citizens and volunteers to take action that would lead to recovery. The Ishinomaki Laboratory was set up to equip the people of Ishinomaki with tools and materials to help them rebuild on their own.