Collaborative Special Research (designated by the president) titled “Construction of an Archive for Vories Architecture, Reexamination of Its Historical Positioning, and Exploration of Its Contem

From fiscal year 2022 to 2024, we conducted a Collaborative Special Research　(designated by the president) titled “Construction of an Archive for Vories Architecture, Reexamination of Its Historical Positioning, and Exploration of Its Contemporary Significance”

This research was conducted as a research theme at the Vories Research Center (VRC) in the School of Architecture, and was carried out by a research team consisting of six members of the center: Shu Yamane (Professor, School of Architecture / Representative), Masakazu Ishigure (Associate Professor, School of Architecture), Maki Taniguchi (Associate Professor, School of Architecture), Yukihiro Kadono (Emeritus Professor, Kwansai Gakuin University), Masaaki Yamagata (Emeritus Professor, Osaka University of Arts / Fellow, Kwansai Gakuin University), and Kenji Nakayama (Advisor, W. M. Vories & Company Architects Ichiryusha Co., Ltd.).

The objectives of this research were as follows:

①To investigate the vast collection of Vories' architectural design drawings, explore the possibility of digitizing them, and organize and examine the overall picture of Vories' architectural drawings for future use.

②To analyze and examine the planning characteristics, design characteristics, and structural characteristics of Vories' architectural works based on the digitized drawing materials.

③Examination of the architectural historical position of Vories architecture within the lineage of the Spanish Mission Style, Spanish Revival Style, and Crafts Movement in the United States.

④Examination of the architectural historical position of Vories campus design within the lineage of campus planning in the United States.

⑤Clarification of the substance of Vories' ideas and activities rooted in Christian faith, and examination of their reflection in architectural design.

⑥Examination of the preservation and restoration of Vories architecture, its inheritance to contemporary architecture, and its effects on urban regeneration and regional revitalization.

Regarding the construction of an archive of materials related to Vories architecture, we have established a storage system by cataloging and labeling the literature materials held by the VRC, and have proceeded with the digitization of drawing materials centered on postwar architecture. We have also carried out listing work toward archiving, and have begun compiling a list of existing Vories architecture.

Furthermore, in order to explore the origins of Vories' architectural style and philosophy, we conducted research in the United States on the origins of the Spanish Mission style and examples of campus plans using this style, collected materials from Colorado College where Vories studied, and conducted research on Vories' post-war residential architecture and the inheritance and utilization of Vories architecture.

The results of these three years of research have been published in the VRC Journal "New Horizons in Vories Studies Vol. 1" (March 2024), “New Horizons in Vories Studies Vol. 2” (March 2025) , as well as through peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.