Gaining recognition as one of a growing number of important young Japanese architects working today, Nishizawa Taira is the subject of a compact exhibition at Gallery Ma in Nogizaka (a long-term supporter of Japanese architecture and architects).

Nishizawa was born in Tokyo in 1964, and worked at Irie Architectural Design Office for six years directly after graduating from the Faculty of Engineering of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1987. Since establishing Taira Nishizawa Architects & Associates in 1993 he has completed a number of building projects, many of which show his concern with the connection between architecture and the surrounding landscape. He is also a lecturer at three Universities in Japan - the University of Tsukuba, the Tokyo University of Science and Tokai University.

The Gallery Ma exhibition offers a brief introduction to three buildings he has designed. These are introduced through large models (about one quarter the size of the actual buildings), and videos of the buildings either under construction or in use after completion.

The first work documented here is a house he designed for a family in Tokyo's Ota Ward (1997-1998).

One challenge facing Nishizawa was how to best utilize the narrow nature of the plot of land which, with the completion of an office building to the south, was soon be surrounded by buildings on all sides. He resolved this by constructing a house that, although limited in width, creates a feeling of space through its unusually far-reaching length. The feeling of space is further enhanced by positioning the larger windows high in the rooms, allowing light in but keeping any potential unsightly intrusions out (a simple but very effective idea that appears in a number of his buildings). Lower down the walls, smaller windows also let the sun in, allowing for a playful treatment of light throughout the interior.

Another project, "Su-wa House," at the foot of Mt. Yatsugatake in Nagano Prefecture, offered the opportunity to create a house from scratch without having to take any heed of neighboring buildings and obstructions - there are no other structures adjacent to or anywhere nearby - just fields as far as the eye can see. This allowed for far more freedom than is customarily afforded an architect.

One of the most interesting aspects of the design of this building is the way in which Nishizawa introduces light into the building through a skylight in the roof. Although the house has a triangular roof (with openings) the ceilings in each of the rooms are flat and incorporate the horizontally laid frosted glass skylight.

The various rooms are given contrasting characters, through different treatments in color, materials and texture, with the color schemes determined by the predominant colors of the furniture and other items the owner has there. The living room, for example, is rendered in dark wood to match the dark table and chairs, the organ and the other furniture in the owner's possession. This is another method Nishizawa often utilizes to bring a harmonious feeling to a room, free of visual clutter, and it brings his architecture a step closer to interior design. The kitchen is paneled in a lighter, red colored wood, matching the kitchen appliances, and it gives the room an airy, modern feel.

Seeing as only three of his building are covered in the exhibition, the small accompanying book, featuring most of his architectural work to date, is recommended as it includes some interesting buildings and ideas not covered in the exhibition. These include, to name just one, a museum of natural science where Nishizawa, rather than lay an artificial floor, opted to simply build on the unadorned earth. Semi-transparent walls made from a special type of glass let in enough heat to allow grass and flowers to grow inside the museum - effectively erasing the distinction between "inside" and "outside."

Although somewhat limited in its scope, the exhibition "Nishizawa Taira 1994-2004" offers us a timely glimpse at the work of an up-and-coming Japanese architect of the younger generation.