ABSTRACT
The Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion was a collaboration that encompassed many individuals and companies. This case study will focus on the collaboration among Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates (SAANA), Sasaki and Partners (SAP), and Guy Nordenson and Associates. SANAA is a Japanese architecture firm founded by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 1995. Their large and highly lauded body of work demonstrates a refined approach to lightness and transparency through a subtle use of structure and materials. Their designs often involve open, democratic plans with a blurred boundary between exterior and interior, and a relationship with the surrounding natural environment. Nishizawa describes their approach to design as: Coherent, consistent, always doing the same thing. Architect and architectural critic Michael Webb sums up the project: The harmony of the proportion is matched by the refinement of the finish and detail.
