Notable contemporary Japanese architects like Arata Isozaki, Tadao Ando, Fumihiko Maki, Hiroshi Hara and Shin Takamatsu all have designed buildings in Kyoto, with quite a few in the trendy Kitayama area of north Kyoto. Some of their projects are covered in other sections of this article.
Arata Isozaki designed the Kyoto Symphony Hall in 1995, in the Kitayama area. This impressive complex has been described as a "temple" to classical music, and it is the home to the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. The main hall seats 1833, and the Ensemble Hall holds 500 seats. One of its facades has a sweeping wave not unlike that of the curved edge of a piano, or perhaps like the bars on a sheet of music. The building exterior has slick surfaces that draw attention away from the simple urban environment to the building itself.
Besides the Garden of Fine Art, Tadao Ando designed the B-Lock Kitayama project (1990) in that north Kyoto neighborhood. However, his Time's 1 (1984) and Time's 2 (1991) projects have achieved more acclaim. The first phase has three stories, and has a shallow metallic vault roof over its length. The second phase is taller and has a squarish stainless-steel "dome" roof capping it. These two pieces, located in a popular urban neighborhood, are hemmed in along the Takasegawa River, which is lined with trees. The mood of these elements is striking with a drizzle falling upon the dusk of the city.
Shin Takamatsu's most notable project is probably Kirin Plaza (1987) in Osaka, but he has designed a bunch of smaller buildings in Kyoto. The three phases of Origin (1981, 1982 and 1986) feature a facade that is a predecessor of his Syntax building. Its polished granite panels, vertical slit entrance and large central oval window create the impression of a stern face. Ark (1983) looks like a concrete locomotive with unusual pipes. His bold forms are definitely unique, whether you like them or not. Kitayama-dori Avenue is the home for the Week Building (1986) and Syntax (1990). The symmetrical T-shaped facade of Syntax looks like a stylized totem pole, a being with arms outstretched, or whatever your surrealistic mind wants it to be. It has surfaces like polished stone and aluminum panels. The large open stairways lead to the roof and the two cantilevered sections, the "arms" of the structure. This is quite a wild container, with four stories and two underground levels for boutiques and restaurants. The bold facade just overwhelms the small trees along the sidewalk, turning them into pieces of urban parsley.