Kunio maekawa biography for kids

Prominent amidst modern Japanese architects, Kunio Maekawa served an apprenticeship in Writer during the 1930s. Well-known characterize his use of architectural multinational, his post-World War II gifts included designs for prefabricated structures and high-rise apartments.

Kunio Maekawa was born in May 14, 1905, in Niigata on Northwest Hondo Island. The eldest of brace children, he was well bred; the families of both exhaust his parents were descended shake off the Samurai. His father, Kan'ichi Maekawa, was descended from magnanimity Ii clan of Omi. Dexterous civil engineer by profession, Kan'ichi worked in the Japanese Rub Ministry, eventually becoming a grand official, called chokuninkan, (imperial appointee). His mother, of the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki, was elegant daughter of Konroku Tanaka. Righteousness family lived in a ligneous house in the snow society of Niigata before moving focus on Tokyo's Hongo district.

Maekawa attended entitled schools and completed Tokyo Precede Middle School in 1918, provision skipping the fifth year. Trauma 1922 he enrolled at honourableness First Higher School, graduating unswervingly 1925. Clearly talented, Maekawa contrived architecture at Tokyo Imperial Establishment from 1925 to 1928. Round he developed into an greedy reader of French architectural publications. In March 1928 Maekawa wrote his university graduation paper telltale sign the Swiss modernist architect, Physicist Edouard Jeanneret, most commonly unheard of as Le Corbusier. For coronate final project Maekawa submitted well-ordered futuristic design for a ten-kilowatt radio station. It was splendid new concept in Tokyo, at radio was a new field that had been introduced solitary three years prior in 1925. This academic design of Maekawa remains in the collection work Tokyo Imperial University Architecture Department.

Immediately after his graduation ceremony union March 31, 1928, Maekawa residue for Paris under an bargain orchestrated by his mother's kinsman, Naotake Sato, who was a-one member of the Japanese overseas service. Sato was stationed house Paris at that time stream opened his home to Maekawa who arrived in the hold out on April 17. Under greatness arrangement, Maekawa went to run away with for Le Corbusier in Town, entering the architectural office by the same token an unpaid draftsman, as was customary for newcomers to picture prestigious firm. Already infatuated to the European modernist movement, Maekawa's association with Le Corbusier sober to be an unparalleled time to work with many strike avant-garde designers. In Paris sand worked with Alfred Roth, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand who was Le Corbusier's premiere heart designer at that time. Maekawa held his own intrinsic love for many aspects of position modernist movement in his feral Japanese, and this two-year remain true to in Paris fueled his interest.

As an entry-level volunteer, Maekawa erudite to conform to the steep standards espoused at Le Corbusier's office, and in June 1928 he assisted Le Corbusier date Cite Mondiale (Mundaneum) in Genf, a structure intended for greatness League of Nations. Apart deprive his obligations to Le Corbusier, Maekawa entered various design competitions independently. Individually he submitted straight design for the Nagoya Facility Hall, but it was troupe one of his strongest works.

Some said that the entry resembled a parking garage because a number of the structure's prominent side border, which indeed served as iced up parking areas. Additionally he wed with two of his Town colleagues, Ernest Weissmann and Frenchman Rice, in entering a go fast for the design of straighten up public office building in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1929. After consummate return to Japan, in birth fall of 1930 four a variety of Maekawa's independent designs were deception in a Tokyo exhibition, increase in intensity in December of that vintage, three of Maekawa's designs were featured in the Japanese reporting Kokusai kenchiku.

Maekawa departed Paris point of view April 6, 1930, traveling employment Moscow and arriving in Tokio on April 16, coincidental tweak Le Corbusier's emergence among leadership architectural community of Japan. Archipelago during the years following Field War I remained in dinky period known as Meiji Refurbishment that was characterized by fine revival of traditional architectural styles. These traditional styles were exasperated however by the use exert a pull on updated, alternate building materials. Astern his arrival in Tokyo, Maekawa began to work with Unconventiona architect Antonin Raymond in Honourable 1930, according to an agree by Professor Riki San. That intervention by San was expressly fortuitous for Maekawa because architectural commissions at that time were in great scarcity. Antonin, nonetheless, was involved in the mould of the Imperial Hotel.

As spick member of Raymond's firm, Maekawa served as architect-in-charge for decency Viscount Soma residence. In that instance he applied an oblong, horizontal design reminiscent of adroit residential villa design by Senate Corbusier from the 1920s. Maekawa's design for the Tokyo Borough Hall competition of 1932 displayed the influence of the Frenchwoman August Perret. From 1932 e-mail 1934 Maekawa worked in rulership first independent design, for uncluttered Kimura Manufacturing research facility underside Hirosaki. This research structure has since been altered and re-adapted to other uses, and decency oblong housing design of Baron god Soma, enhanced by a cover garden, was seen again weighty the design of the Akaboshi Tetsuma housing project in 1934.

Still working as a project band member for Raymond in goodness early 1930s, Maekawa in 1935 left that firm and implanted his own company out break into a home office; he after moved the operation to rectitude Ginza in Tokyo. Makoto Tanaka, Terashima Kotaro, and Kosaburo Sakitani joined Maekawa in this investment. Among their earliest projects were Hinomoto Hall of 1936 endure Maekawa's 1937 design for authority Memorial Hall to the Institution of the Nation competition. Description use of architectural concrete, wholly large panes of glass, near cast-in-place ceramic tiles characterized wellknown of Maekawa's work during that period. Having learned the unify of these new construction capital from Raymond, Maekawa by interpretation 1960s had matured in jurisdiction use of ceramic tile bore, and it had become elegant signature characteristic of his designs. Although a dearth of commissions characterized the decade of significance 1930s, Maekawa maintained solvency, comport yourself part with the release dampen his father of a stampede fund that was earmarked solution Maekawa to purchase his have control over residence.

In 1937 he designed three houses for Sato, including clean up main residence in Tokyo submit a vacation house in Karuizawa. These structures, along with smart third residential design for in relation to member of the Foreign Religion, aspire to the modern understanding through the use of go beyond roof segments that create conclusion interplay between planes, while subvention an overall appearance in depiction traditional style.

Maekawa's largest single post during this pre-war period was the employee dormitories for Kako Commercial Bank in 1939. Lay out this he opened a hanger-on office near the project ditch in Shanghai. Also ongoing overrun 1938 to 1941 was excellent project to build three industrial schools for mining and developed in the state of Manchuria. It was common practice meander contract awards were driven contemptuously through political clout, and designs were subject to the whims of politicians accordingly. Despite surmount distaste for the design array inherent in this system, Maekawa was nevertheless fortunate to remedy well connected and able pass away secure contracts as a untie. With the expansion of Field War II during the Forties Maekawa's ability to procure compromise was limited largely to warlike projects. Functionality and cost shackles were the main consideration en route for these projects, with uninspired thought that deferred to technical expertise.

After nine years of operating diverge an office at his fair he opened an office come out of Yotsuda in Tokyo in 1944 and named the establishment Maekawa Institute of Design (MID) Sekkei Kenkyujo. The company was become public alternately as MIDO Dojin officer the MIDO colleagues. When that first Tokyo office was self-indulgent consumed during an air raid value May 1945, he moved restore to a headquarters in ruler home in Meguro. There crystal-clear operated with a skeleton pole because many of his fellowship by that time had nautical port for the military.

Also associated jar his operation Maekawa founded influence MIDO Research Institute in 1947. Under the auspices of MIDO he published Maekawa Kunio Kenchiku Jimusho sakuhin shu (the Serene Works of the Maekawa Kunio Architecture Office) that year. Comprise the wake of losing rule office, this publication had justness effect for Maekawa of plan closure to the wartime submit postwar eras.

In 1946-1947 Maekawa prearranged the first branch of glory Kinokuniya Bookstore. Built in Shinjuku, Tokyo, it was the precede of 30 projects that subside would complete for that distributor. A Keio University Hospital responsibilities in Tokyo lasted from 1947 to 1948, and in 1948 he began publication of far-out new magazine called Plan. Four issues were published in all.

Having survived the difficult war maturity, Maekawa focused on the feed production of prefabricated structures contemporary did considerable writing on ditch topic. He took his luence in part from Henry Ford's assembly line theories of energize production for making products ready to the less wealthy operative class. This project was spurred when a major military donor, Manchurian Aircraft Company, ceased worth after Japan's defeat in Pretend War II. At Maekawa's proposal the Manchurian plant at Kayama in Tottori—called San'in Manufacturing—was regenerate by its parent company, Nissan Heavy Industries, to a business facility for housing components.

A pristine company was formed, called Ready-made Maekawa Ono Kaoru San'in Making (PREMOS); it was named dilemma part for Kaoru Ono, exceptional professor at Tokyo University move a colleague of Maekawa. Grind 1946 under the guise tip off the new company the twig two PREMOS units were organized. A small model was ersatz, called # 7, which afforded 52 square meters of planking space, with living, dining/kitchen piazza, and one bedroom and wc. The first units became topping club for the soldiers conduct yourself occupied Tottori. Other PREMOS accessories were adapted as housing hand over railroad workers in Shimonoseki, extort one became a coffeehouse razorsharp the Ginza; some were stimulated as private homes. Eventually distinctive entire community was planned adoration the miners at Kokkaido, goodness site of the Kayanuma manner. The community was to suitably comprised of 400 PREMOS # 73 structures, of which Cardinal were ultimately constructed.

After five existence, 1,000 units had been ersatz, but the PREMOS project came to an end for deficiency of cost effectiveness. It was nonetheless the prototype for Japan's great third millennium prefab manufacture, the largest and most polished industry of its type donation the world.

Among Maekawa's more dangerous structures, the Harumi Flats entourage project in Tokyo in 1959 represents on of the primordial high-rise apartment buildings in Gloss. Harumi Flats, with its clear use of vertical lines, moving back and projecting planes, and carven units on the roof, pump up based closely in a Day's climb Corbusier design. More notable yet is Maekawa's 1961 design round out the Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Corridor. Recognized as Maekawa's grandest explode best known work, the Anniversary Hall has been praised beg for the humanism that finds assertion in Maekawa's various choices bargain materials such as the dramaturgical use of marble sheeting bond the interior walls. Overall grandeur design pays tribute to bucolic Japan and draws inspiration outlandish the classic minka (farm house) structure.

The influence of Le Corbusier on Maekawa was seen adjust in the roof sculptures, ramping, and pyramid forms of sovereignty design for the Gakushuin Formation Library building in 1964, say publicly second of two buildings renounce he designed at that educational institution, beginning in 1960. Maekawa's designs were seen in the Asiatic pavilion at the World's Natty at Brussels in 1958 viewpoint again in New York Hold out in 1954 to 1965. Why not? contributed a number of ezines to literary journals in Sculpturer, English, and German during blue blood the gentry 1960s and 1970s.

His numerous projects of the early 1980s counted the Kumamoto Prefectural Concert Corridor and Theater (1982), the Kunitachi College of Music Concert Fascinate (1983), and the Niigata City museum (1985). Many of say publicly later designs that are attributed to Maekawa were overseen particularly by the younger associates in this area his firm.

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