Hokkaido-born architect Jun Igarashi seems to be a bit out of his comfort zone in the stultifying humidity of Tokyo. As he chats in the Toto Gallery, where he is holding his first solo exhibition, he explains that he's accustomed to the cooler and more temperate climate of his northern prefecture, which many of his designs are testament to. His buildings protect against the heavy snowfall and bitter winds of the Hokkaido winter and yet are still comfortably cool in summer.

Though much of Igarashi's work is in Hokkaido, the number of recent accolades he has garnered since the creation of his independent company 15 years ago is putting the 40-year old's work on the map. His award-winning designs include a temporary theater in Osaka made entirely from soft, vinyl tubes of air, and a conceptual design for a lifelong learning center in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. It is clear that Igarashi prefers to focus on projects that have a social emphasis, often taking designs back to the raw basics and then utilizing materials to improve the buildings' natural ventilation and lighting.

His insistence on using natural materials and utilizing structure and design for energy efficiency are also pertinent as Japan continues to struggle after the March 11 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. Many in the Japanese and international architectural industry have begun to look into how they can help rebuild the devastated coastal communities.