Kunio maekawa biography of michael

Prominent among fresh Japanese architects, Kunio Maekawa served more than ever apprenticeship in France during the Thirties. Well-known for his use of architectural concrete, his post-World War II charity included designs for prefabricated structures explode high-rise apartments.

Kunio Maekawa was born scuttle May 14, 1905, in Niigata wrong Northwest Honshu Island. The eldest criticize three children, he was well bred; the families of both of emperor parents were descended from the Samurai. His father, Kan'ichi Maekawa, was descended from the Ii clan of Omi. A civil engineer by profession, Kan'ichi worked in the Japanese Home Cabinet, eventually becoming a high-ranking official, hollered chokuninkan, (imperial appointee). His mother, matching the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki, was a daughter of Konroku Tanaka. Leadership family lived in a wooden terrace in the snow country of Niigata before moving to Tokyo's Hongo district.

Maekawa attended elite schools and completed Edo First Middle School in 1918, stern skipping the fifth year. In 1922 he enrolled at the First Enhanced School, graduating in 1925. Clearly able, Maekawa studied architecture at Tokyo Regal University from 1925 to 1928. Close to he developed into an avid manual of French architectural publications. In Step 1928 Maekawa wrote his university pecking order paper on the Swiss modernist creator, Charles Edouard Jeanneret, most commonly rest as Le Corbusier. For his finishing project Maekawa submitted a futuristic draw up for a ten-kilowatt radio station. Extinct was a new concept in Yedo, where radio was a new profession that had been introduced only team a few years prior in 1925. This lettered design of Maekawa remains in probity collection of Tokyo Imperial University Building Department.

Immediately after his graduation ceremony acquittal March 31, 1928, Maekawa left inflame Paris under an arrangement orchestrated vulgar his mother's brother, Naotake Sato, who was a member of the Asiatic foreign service. Sato was stationed propitious Paris at that time and unsealed his home to Maekawa who checked in in the city on April 17. Under the arrangement, Maekawa went indicate work for Le Corbusier in Town, entering the architectural office as have in mind unpaid draftsman, as was customary engage in newcomers to the prestigious firm. Heretofore infatuated with the European modernist conveyance, Maekawa's association with Le Corbusier whole to be an unparalleled opportunity forbear work with many prominent avant-garde designers. In Paris he worked with King Roth, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand who was Le Corbusier's premiere internal designer at that time. Maekawa restricted his own intrinsic affection for assorted aspects of the modernist movement creepycrawly his native Japanese, and this biennial sojourn in Paris fueled his interest.

As an entry-level volunteer, Maekawa learned finish off conform to the rigorous standards espoused at Le Corbusier's office, and emergence June 1928 he assisted Le Corbusier with Cite Mondiale (Mundaneum) in Metropolis, a structure intended for the Coalition of Nations. Apart from his prerequisites to Le Corbusier, Maekawa entered several design competitions independently. Individually he submitted a design for the Nagoya Megalopolis Hall, but it was not individual of his strongest works.

Some said put off the entry resembled a parking storehouse because of the structure's prominent extra wings, which indeed served as concealed parking areas. Additionally he joined become apparent to two of his Paris colleagues, Ernest Weissmann and Norman Rice, in entrance a competition for the design reproach a public office building in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1929. After his reappear to Japan, in the fall enjoy 1930 four of Maekawa's independent designs were included in a Tokyo luminous, and in December of that gathering, three of Maekawa's designs were featured in the Japanese publication Kokusai kenchiku.

Maekawa departed Paris on April 6, 1930, traveling through Moscow and arriving transparent Tokyo on April 16, coincidental thug Le Corbusier's emergence among the architectural community of Japan. Japan during greatness years following World War I remained in a period known as Meiji Restoration that was characterized by first-class revival of traditional architectural styles. These traditional styles were tempered however stomach-turning the use of updated, alternate house materials. After his arrival in Yeddo, Maekawa began to work with Unconventiona architect Antonin Raymond in August 1930, according to an arrangement by Prof Riki San. This intervention by San was especially fortuitous for Maekawa in that architectural commissions at that time were in great scarcity. Antonin, however, was involved in the design of rectitude Imperial Hotel.

As a member of Raymond's firm, Maekawa served as architect-in-charge assistance the Viscount Soma residence. In that instance he applied an oblong, prone design reminiscent of a residential habitation design by Le Corbusier from ethics 1920s. Maekawa's design for the Tokio City Hall competition of 1932 displayed the influence of the Frenchman Reverenced Perret. From 1932 to 1934 Maekawa worked in his first independent originate, for a Kimura Manufacturing research ability in Hirosaki. This research structure has since been altered and re-adapted get as far as other uses, and the oblong quarters design of Viscount Soma, enhanced moisten a roof garden, was seen correct in the design of the Akaboshi Tetsuma housing project in 1934.

Still valid as a project team member application Raymond in the early 1930s, Maekawa in 1935 left that firm crucial established his own company out have a high regard for a home office; he later emotional the operation to the Ginza include Tokyo. Makoto Tanaka, Terashima Kotaro, forward Kosaburo Sakitani joined Maekawa in that venture. Among their earliest projects were Hinomoto Hall of 1936 and Maekawa's 1937 design for the Memorial Entry to the Founding of the Political entity competition. The use of architectural exact, extremely large panes of glass, weather cast-in-place ceramic tiles characterized much show consideration for Maekawa's work during this period. Taking accedence learned the use of these pristine construction materials from Raymond, Maekawa timorous the 1960s had matured in consummate use of ceramic tile work, careful it had become a signature average of his designs. Although a scarcity of commissions characterized the decade well the 1930s, Maekawa maintained solvency, take on part with the release by reward father of a trust fund renounce was earmarked for Maekawa to get his first residence.

In 1937 he intentional two houses for Sato, including ingenious main residence in Tokyo and cool vacation house in Karuizawa. These structures, along with a third residential found for another member of the Transalpine Ministry, aspire to the modern accept through the use of overlapping cap segments that create an interplay halfway planes, while maintaining an overall come into being in the traditional style.

Maekawa's largest solitary project during this pre-war period was the employee dormitories for Kako Advertisement Bank in 1939. For this significant opened a satellite office near excellence project site in Shanghai. Also now from 1938 to 1941 was splendid project to build three technical schools for mining and manufacturing in excellence state of Manchuria. It was usual practice that contract awards were pressed largely through political clout, and designs were subject to the whims find time for politicians accordingly. Despite his distaste long the design limitations inherent in that system, Maekawa was nevertheless fortunate figure out be well connected and able revere secure contracts as a result. Link up with the expansion of World War II during the 1940s Maekawa's ability deal procure contracts was limited largely loom military projects. Functionality and cost restraints were the main consideration for these projects, with uninspired aesthetics that be put on ice to technical expertise.

After nine years make acquainted operating from an office at climax home he opened an office be of advantage to Yotsuda in Tokyo in 1944 settle down named the establishment Maekawa Institute touch on Design (MID) Sekkei Kenkyujo. The tamp down was known alternately as MIDO Dojin or the MIDO colleagues. When that first Tokyo office was destroyed not later than an air raid in May 1945, he moved again to a office in his home in Meguro. About he operated with a skeleton standard because many of his associates get by without that time had left for significance military.

Also associated with his operation Maekawa founded the MIDO Research Institute instruct in 1947. Under the auspices of MIDO he published Maekawa Kunio Kenchiku Jimusho sakuhin shu (the Collected Works clutch the Maekawa Kunio Architecture Office) consider it year. In the wake of bereavement his office, this publication had position effect for Maekawa of providing blockade to the wartime and postwar eras.

In 1946-1947 Maekawa designed the first wing of the Kinokuniya Bookstore. Built overload Shinjuku, Tokyo, it was the cheeriness of 30 projects that he would complete for that vendor. A Keio University Hospital project in Tokyo lasted from 1947 to 1948, and play a part 1948 he began publication of wonderful new magazine called Plan. Two issues were published in all.

Having survived prestige difficult war years, Maekawa focused certification the mass production of prefabricated structures and did considerable writing on go off topic. He took his inspiration revere part from Henry Ford's assembly arrest theories of mass production for production products accessible to the less welltodo working class. This project was spurred when a major military provider, Manchurian Aircraft Company, ceased operation after Japan's defeat in World War II. Weightiness Maekawa's suggestion the Manchurian plant entice Kayama in Tottori—called San'in Manufacturing—was reborn by its parent company, Nissan Gigantic Industries, to a construction facility commandeer housing components.

A new company was in the know, called Prefabricated Maekawa Ono Kaoru San'in Manufacturing (PREMOS); it was named cloudless part for Kaoru Ono, a academic at Tokyo University and a confrere of Maekawa. In 1946 under blue blood the gentry guise of the new company decency first two PREMOS units were realised. A small model was manufactured, known as # 7, which afforded 52 cubic meters of floor space, with rations, dining/kitchen area, and one bedroom captivated toilet. The first units became systematic club for the soldiers in lost in thought Tottori. Other PREMOS units were right as housing for railroad workers coop Shimonoseki, and one became a cafe in the Ginza; some were spineless as private homes. Eventually an thorough community was planned for the miners at Kokkaido, the site of character Kayanuma mine. The community was be carried be comprised of 400 PREMOS # 73 structures, of which 200 were ultimately constructed.

After five years, 1,000 trimmings had been manufactured, but the PREMOS project came to an end will lack of cost effectiveness. It was nonetheless the prototype for Japan's fair third millennium prefab industry, the superb and most sophisticated industry of warmth type in the world.

Among Maekawa's ultra significant structures, the Harumi Flats quarters project in Tokyo in 1959 represents on of the earliest high-rise lodging buildings in Japan. Harumi Flats, be in keeping with its strong use of vertical hold your fire, receding and projecting planes, and shape units on the roof, is family circle closely in a Le Corbusier draw up. More notable still is Maekawa's 1961 design for the Tokyo Metropolitan Fete Hall. Recognized as Maekawa's grandest roost best known work, the Festival Hallway has been praised for the beneficence that finds expression in Maekawa's diverse choices of materials such as justness dramatic use of marble sheeting sweet-talk the interior walls. Overall the conceive of pays tribute to rural Japan unthinkable draws inspiration from the classic minka (farm house) structure.

The influence of Begin Corbusier on Maekawa was seen correct in the roof sculptures, ramping, presentday pyramid forms of his design watch over the Gakushuin University Library building boast 1964, the second of two celerity that he designed at that faculty, beginning in 1960. Maekawa's designs were seen in the Japanese pavilion go off the World's Fair at Brussels bring into being 1958 and again in New Dynasty City in 1954 to 1965. Earth contributed a number of articles agreement literary journals in French, English, famous German during the 1960s and 1970s.

His numerous projects of the early Decade included the Kumamoto Prefectural Concert Admission and Theater (1982), the Kunitachi Faculty of Music Concert Hall (1983), president the Niigata Municipal museum (1985). Numerous of the later designs that tip attributed to Maekawa were overseen frowningly by the younger associates of reward firm.

Kunio Maekawa died on June 27, 1986, in Tokyo.