Hiroshi Naito

Architect

Profile

Born in 1950. Completed a master's degree at Waseda University in 1976. After working for Fernando Iguelas & Co. in Madrid, Spain, and Kiyonori Kikutake & Associates, he established Naito & Associates in 1981. From 2001 to 2011, he served as professor and vice president of the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, and from 2011 he has been professor emeritus at the same university. From 2007 to 2009, he served as the chairman of the jury for the Good Design Award. Major architectural works include the Museum of the Sea, Azumino Chihiro Art Museum, Makino Tomitaro Memorial Museum, Fuji Highland Training Institute of the Ethics Research Institute, Shimane Art and Culture Center, Hyuga City Station, Kochi Station, Toraya Kyoto Store, Asahikawa Station, Kusanagi Sports Ground Gymnasium in Shizuoka Prefecture, Toraya Akasaka Store, Takatamatsubara Tsunami Memorial Park, Takatamatsubara National Tsunami Memorial, and Shibuya Station on the Ginza Line.

Naito Architect & Associates

Thoughts on Design

High-colored, sophisticated, beautiful, coquettish, cool, tacky, dull, rustic, sharp, dull, light, imitative, trendy, outdated... Here is a list of adjectives that come to mind when I think of the word “design”. There are surprisingly few words to describe design, even though it is now deeply rooted in every corner of our lives. This is because there are nearly fifty seasonal words for rain. I would like to enrich the words that describe design, just like the seasonal words in haiku. I believe this is the most direct way to enrich the life and culture of this country.