Formed in 2006, based in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture (Japan).

Kurihara was born in Saitama Prefecture (Japan) and Iwatsuki in Aichi Prefecture, both in 1977. These two young architects both worked with junya ishigami + associates before setting up studio velocity in 2006. They gave birth to a new architectural vision, in which avant-garde designs coexist with the cute. This has brought them a lot of attention in Japan and overseas. In their "Curved Little House" (2010), built as a Nagoya beautician's premises, they made clever use of a gentle curve to increase the internal space. They have designed several homes in Okazaki, including the "Montblanc House" (2009), distinctive for its high triangular roof with the space beneath divided into multiple small rooms, terraces and courtyards, and "Sky-view Ground Floor, City-like Top Floor" (2012), which is circular in form, with each floor creating a totally different world. Construction of their "Aichi Sangyo University Educational Center For Language and IT", plans for which were displayed at Palazzo Bembo during the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale (2012), has just been completed in 2013. Their solo exhibition, entitled "fluctuation" (2012) featured some exquisite environmentally sensitive installations, such as a free-standing structure made with ultra-thin film only 0.25mm thick, and micro-models likening the scratches and cracks on the floor to landscapes.