In the heart of Mendrisio, the Theatre of Architecture of the University of Italian Switzerland is preparing to host Make Do with Now, an exhibition conceived with the aim of redefining the canons of contemporary architecture. From 11 April to 5 October 2025, Make Do with Now. New Directions in Japanese Architecture It aims to be a platform for analysis and reflection on an evolving architectural landscape, marked by dramatic events and the need for an innovative approach.
Transformation context
The exhibition is part of a particularly significant historical and cultural context: the 2011 earthquake and the Fukushima disaster have marked a generation of Japanese architects and urban planners. Born between the mid-XNUMXs and the mid-XNUMXs, these professionals began their careers in a period of crisis and renewal, transforming their “marginal” condition into a point of strength. Far from limiting themselves to the mere re-proposal of pre-packaged aesthetic models, they have embraced critical and sustainable practices, using limited resources, recycled materials and interventions on existing structures.
Make Do with Now: an approach that challenges the conventional
The exhibition is divided into two distinctive sections. The first presents twenty projects realized in the last five years, a heterogeneous inventory that testifies to the multiplicity of responses and solutions to the urgent problems of contemporary Japan: the aging of the population, the emptying of the countryside, the climate crisis and urban development dominated by the logic of profit. These projects are distinguished by the adoption of an aesthetic that welcomes imperfection, challenging traditional minimalism and proposing an architecture that becomes a terrain of experimentation and reflection.
The second section is dedicated to the presentation of the five architectural studios active today in Japan, which highlight not only the final product, but above all the creative process and the methodologies adopted. Through photographs, films, models and video portraits made in collaboration with Studio GROSS, the visitor is invited to get to know the critical and social thinking that characterizes the work of these young professionals.
Prelude to comparisons and dialogues
Before the official inauguration of the exhibition, the USI Academy of Architecture is organizing a series of five public conferences, which will take place from February 20 to April 10, 2025. These meetings represent an important moment of discussion and debate, with the participation of internationally renowned architects and studios, capable of shedding light on the transformations underway in the Japanese architectural panorama. The last appointment, scheduled for April 10 at 18.30:XNUMX pm, will mark not only the culmination of this series of meetings, but also the beginning of the exhibition “Make Do with Now”.
The catalogue designed to delve deeper into the topic
Alongside the exhibition, the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum is publishing a catalogue edited by Christoph Merian Verlag. The volume, enriched by critical essays and photographs by Go Itami, is intended as an essential tool for understanding the new direction of Japanese architecture. Through the contributions of renowned critics and architects, the catalogue offers an in-depth analysis of the projects exhibited, broadening the discussion on the role of the architect in a rapidly changing society.
The Architecture Theatre of Mendrisio
The TAM, designed by architect Mario Botta, represents a crossroads between teaching, research and cultural dissemination. With its transdisciplinary vocation, the Teatro dell’architettura not only hosts exhibitions and conferences, but also becomes a laboratory of ideas where memory and contemporaneity constantly dialogue. Since 2020, thanks to the collaboration with important local institutions, the TAM has established itself as a point of reference for anyone who wishes to deepen the debate on the future of architecture.
in short Make Do with Now. New Directions in Japanese Architecture is not just an exhibition, but an invitation to reflect on how crises can be transformed into creative opportunities. The innovative approach of young Japanese architects demonstrates that adaptation does not mean giving up, but can become the engine of radical and sustainable change. The initiative, made possible by the collaboration between TAM, the USI Academy of Architecture and the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, represents a valuable contribution to the global debate, offering ideas and perspectives that go beyond the traditional boundaries of the sector.
With a detached but attentive look at the evolution of the profession, this cultural event promises to be a fundamental moment for those who believe in architecture not only as art, but as a tool for social and environmental regeneration.
