We Are Tomodachi Autumn / Winter 2017

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30Series: Japanese Individuals Contributing WorldwideJapanese Architect Harmonizes Peopleand the EnvironmentRecently, Japanese architects have received significant global recognition. An American online art sector platform called Artsy included three of them among 15 architects showcased in its article “These Architects Are Transforming the Way We Experience Art.” Along with Tadao Ando and the firm SANAA, one of the Japanese architects included in the list is Toshiko Mori. Based in New York City, Mori predominantly designs residential, institutional and cultural buildings in the United States. She has received numerous awards, including the Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and from 2002 to 2008, she chaired the Department of Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.Mori’s designs connect visual beauty with functionality and convey timeless and universal qualities. For every project, she conducts thorough research on the program and context to gain deeper understanding of clients’ needs as well as understanding of nuances of site conditions. “The real lives of buildings begin when people occupy them. They must be designed for long-term use and the experience of occupants. I make sure to study the site closely to try to understand the specifics of its locale, to see how a new construction can be harmonized with its surroundings to ensure it passes the test of time,” Mori explains. Her architectural philosophy is partially based on a practice that can resonate with traditional Japanese ways of thinking. For example, her approach includes rich and imaginative interior spaces that enhance the daily life of inhabitants. She finds that “In Western architecture, emphasis on verticality dominates its spatial order, while Japanese tradition promotes horizontality. It is largely derived from a lifestyle closely associated with floor surfaces that connect spaces in horizontal sequences. Because of this, horizontal orientation helps architecture to operate at an intimate human level.”“The prominence and strength of contemporary Japanese architects in the global scene is due to the collective talent of this group which demonstrates a unique ability to integrate diverse ideas and concepts, and Toshiko MoriGraduated from Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at Cooper Union in 1976, and worked for Edward Larrabee Barnes and Associates in New York City before setting up her own firm, Toshiko Mori Architect PLLC, in 1981. Received tenure at Harvard University in 1995, was appointed as the Chair of the Department of Architecture at the Graduate School of Design from 2002 to 2008, and continues to teach as Professor in the Practice of Architecture. Among her many awards are the Academy Award in Architecture (2005), an American Architecture Award (2012), Architectural Digest’s “AD100” (2014 and 2016), the AIA 2017 Institute Honor Award (2017), and the Certificate of Excellence in Africa Architecture Award (2017).At the new Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland, Maine, which opened in June 2016.© Portland Press Herald / Getty Images