ITHACA, NY.- The Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning will host “Japan Now: Country Positions in Architecture and Urbanism,” the second in a series of conferences and exhibitions designed to reveal some of the most intriguing currents in contemporary architecture, landscape architecture, art and urbanism in different parts of the globe. The conference will be held from 4:30 to 8 p.m., Oct. 31 in Lewis Auditorium on the Ithaca campus, and again Nov. 1 at the Japan Society at 333 E. 47th St. in New York City. The events are open to the public and there will be a reception following the event in New York City, beginning at 8:00 p.m.

The program, presented in collaboration with the Japan Society, will examine the nuances, intricacies and innovations in contemporary Japanese architecture that are also influenced by local political, economic and social realities. The newest generation of Japanese architects seeks to develop strategies to address global issues and opportunities while finding answers to topics unique to each locality.

Participants in the conference include Hiromi Hosoya (Hosoya Schaefer Architects), Momoyo Kaijima (Atelier Bow-Wow), Mitsuhiro Kanada (ARUP), Taira Nishizawa (Taira Nishizawa Architects) and Toyo Ito (Toyo Ito & Associates Architects). In Ithaca, Mohsen Mostafavi, dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, and Brett de Bary, director of the Society for the Humanities at Cornell, will serve as co-moderators for the conference. Sanford Kwinter, an architectural writer, theorist and educator whose scholarship and teaching encompass contemporary technological, cultural and intellectual issues in design, will moderate the New York City portion of the conference. The event in Ithaca is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.