Composed of the talented architect Yang Hen Chen and the brilliant weaving & textile designer Noriko Tsuiki, this team is creating a catalyst for craft revitalization utilizing various natural materials, including wood, bamboo, and textiles, in their work. Tsuiki is a master craftsperson who revived traditional Kokura-ori weaving in the 1980s, helping bring back the dense cotton weave with the high, leather-like gloss once the chosen fabric for samurai hakama trousers. Chen is an innovative architect with a visionary ability to reimagine the relationship between traditional crafts and interior architectural settings. Together, their team is changing the design landscape by incorporating newly interpreted forms of traditional crafts into contemporary architecture and interior settings. 

Ceramic kawara roof tiles have been produced in Japan since the 500s. Because they are kiln-fired at temperatures at or above 1200 degrees C, they have exceptional longevity compared to tiles fired at much lower temperatures. Benefits from high-temperature firing include increased longevity, where they last more than 100 years with little maintenance, high durability, the ability to resist heavy rain, snow, and wind as well as extreme fluctuations in temperature, and the ability to resist algae and fungus.  Fabricated from only natural materials, tile roofs can insulate interior temperatures up to 30% in both summer and winter and when installed correctly, they can resist considerable earthquake activity.  In addition to roof tiles, high-fired kawara tiles can be installed as both walls and floors.