Spiral, also known as the Wacoal Art Center, is a multi-use building in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan, that was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Fumihiko Maki was a Japanese architect. In 1993, he received the Pritzker Prize for his work, which often explores pioneering uses of new materials and fuses the cultures of east and west. Maki died on 6 June 2024, at the age of 95. Early life Maki was born ...

. It was commissioned by

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

company

Wacoal is a manufacturer of women's lingerie and underwear, founded in 1949 in Japan by Koichi Tsukamoto. The company has divisions in North America and Europe, and manufactures the brands Wacoal, b.tempt'd, Elomi, Eveden, Fantasie, Freya, Lively, and ...

and completed in 1985. Spiral includes exhibition spaces, a multipurpose hall, cafes, restaurants and bars, beauty salons, and select shops. The defining feature of the building is a seemingly-floating

spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving further away as it revolves around the point. It is a subtype of whorled patterns, a broad group that also includes concentric objects. Two-dimensional A two-dimension ...

ramp (15 m in diameter) that encircles the rear gallery space and climbs to the second floor. The exterior facade of aluminum and glass reflects the jumbled nature of the surrounding streetscape. The building was selected by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

for the R.S. Reynolds Memorial Award in 1987. In 2012, the building received the JIA 25 Years Award from the

Japan Institute of Architects The Japan Institute of Architects (JIA; , ''Nihon kenchikuka kyōkai'') is a voluntary organization for architects in Japan, and an affiliated organization of the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA). The institution was founded in May 1987 ...

. Spiral is a nexus of cultural life in Aoyama, presenting music, art, film, fashion and theater events.

Sources

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External links

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Spiral Building
at Archiplanet Modernist architecture in Japan Event venues established in 1985 Buildings and structures in Minato, Tokyo Fumihiko Maki buildings Wacoal 1985 establishments in Japan {{Japan-struct-stub