Canadian-born Japanese architect Oki Sato founded nendo in 2002 and today it is one of the world’s most prolific and acclaimed design studios. With some 70 people on staff, product, graphic and interior designers, the Tokyo atelier consistently produces award-winning work – from the micro (minimalist umbrella stands, 3D-printed bonsai, geodesic dog beds) to the macro, including sophisticated residential, retail and hospitality architecture and interior design.

His Stairway House, unveiled earlier this year, is composed of a glass box transversed by a giant steel and concrete stepped structure. It was completed around the same time he installed an ethereal light show at the Bon Marché department store in Paris – and weeks before he launched a series of self-driving playground equipment for pre-schoolers.