Architect · Japan · Born 1950
Hiroshi Naito Biography, Buildings and Best Books
Japanese architect, born in 1950, known for quiet timber and concrete buildings such as the Sea-Folk Museum in Toba and the Makino Museum of Plants and People.
Image: Sea Folk Museum, from the ArchEyes article
Biography
Hiroshi Naito (born 1950) is a Japanese architect and teacher whose buildings use timber, concrete and simple, repeated structures to sit calmly in their landscape. His Sea-Folk Museum in Toba, with its storehouses of laminated timber and tiled roofs, made his name, and it was followed by the Makino Museum of Plants and People in Kōchi, the Shimane Arts Center and Kōchi Station.
Yokohama, Waseda and Madrid
Naito was born in Yokohama in 1950 and studied architecture at Waseda University, completing his master’s degree in 1976. He then worked in Madrid for the Spanish architect Fernando Higueras and, back in Japan, for Kiyonori Kikutake, before founding Naito Architect & Associates in Tokyo in 1981.
The Sea-Folk Museum
The Sea-Folk Museum in Toba, Mie Prefecture (1992), houses fishing boats and tools in long, dark storehouses built for a low budget and a damp, salty climate. Its laminated timber frames and heavy roofs won the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize and established his reputation.
Museums, stations and sport
The Makino Museum of Plants and People in Kōchi (1999) winds long timber roofs along a hillside. The Shimane Arts Center, Grand Toit, in Masuda (2005) gathers a theatre and museum under red Sekishu roof tiles. He also designed Kōchi Station, the Kusanagi Sports Complex gymnasium in Shizuoka and the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design.
Teaching
Naito taught civil engineering design at the University of Tokyo, where he is professor emeritus, and has served as president of Tama Art University.
Innerscape
Naito’s own presentation of his main buildings, from the Sea-Folk Museum to the Makino Museum, with his reflections on time, structure and landscape.
View on Amazon
Timeline
- 1950Born on 26 August in Yokohama.
- 1976Completes his master’s degree at Waseda University and works for Fernando Higueras in Madrid.
- 1981Founds Naito Architect & Associates in Tokyo.
- 1992Sea-Folk Museum opens in Toba.
- 1999Makino Museum of Plants and People opens in Kōchi.
- 2005Shimane Arts Center opens in Masuda.
- 2015Kusanagi Sports Complex gymnasium is completed.
Best Books on Hiroshi Naito
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hiroshi Naito known for?
Hiroshi Naito is known for the Sea-Folk Museum in Toba, the Makino Museum of Plants and People in Kōchi, the Shimane Arts Center in Masuda and Kōchi Station.
What is the Sea-Folk Museum?
A museum of fishing culture in Toba, Mie Prefecture, completed in 1992, with long timber-framed storehouses designed for a salty coastal climate. It won the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize.
Where did Hiroshi Naito train?
He studied at Waseda University and worked for Fernando Higueras in Madrid and Kiyonori Kikutake in Tokyo before opening his office in 1981.
What is the best book on Hiroshi Naito?
Innerscape (Birkhäuser) presents his main buildings in English. Hiroshi Naito 1992-2004 (TOTO) is a detailed monograph.
Does Hiroshi Naito teach?
He is professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and has served as president of Tama Art University.
