At 2:36 p.m. on that snowy Friday in March 2011, the earthquake hit. The 9.1-magnitude force was enough to move Japan’s main island 7.9 feet to the east and trigger walls of water estimated at 38 meters tall—the height of a 12-story building. Within minutes, thousands of lives were lost, thousands more were suddenly without shelter, and the nation was in the middle of a nuclear disaster.

In the coming weeks and months, the world rallied to help. One of Japan’s most influential designers, Toyo Ito, also wanted to do his part. While he could not solve some of the biggest challenges, he had an idea: what if he could bring together fellow peers and design a response with architecture? Amidst the emptied-out spaces he saw a need and opportunity to rebuild public spaces—central gathering points where communities could reconnect and seek support as they figured out what to do next. He called the organization Home For All.

Now a board member at Home For All, Astrid Klein of Klein Dytham Architects first worked with Ito when she arrived in Japan 30 years ago. She was inspired by his latest idea and knew that it would serve an important healing purpose. “In a time of tragedy, people need to get together, hug each other, talk it out, and feel like they are not alone.” Yet, within the clusters of temporary housing set up by the Japanese government, a place for everyone to gather was missing.

As Ito went searching for more volunteers, a member of his staff and rising star, Michiko Okano, immediately raised her hand. Yet, she couldn’t imagine where the journey would take her. Visiting the Tohoku region two months later, the devastation shook her. “Until the tsunami, architecture was something I made to give people hope. But in this case architecture hurt people. The debris became a weapon,” she says.

Okano’s entire approach to design changed after witnessing the aftermath. Previously, she worked in a contemporary style, prioritizing a separation from the outside with sharply defined interior spaces. Yet, through this experience, she also came to understand the importance of a built environment that fosters an attunement with nature rather than shutting it out. “Now I want to create comfort without such a clear separation between inside and outside,” she says.

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Up and down Northeastern Japan, Okano and her colleagues designed unique public pavilions with strong indoor-outdoor connections, built with debris or donated materials. Some structures were conceived as play spaces for neighborhood children, while others provided local farmers with a new place to sell their vegetables.

While walls might not offer much protection against disaster, a strong sense of community and connection with nature can. “Architecture can provide places for people to gather on a daily basis. Ultimately, that might prove much more helpful when disaster strikes,” Okano adds.

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