Articles by Naomi Pollock, FAIA

Uto Elementary School

A Breath of Fresh Air: A Tokyo firm replaces an outdated schoolhouse with a vibrant, flexible facility that satisfies stringent seismic codes and provides a healthy environment.

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

January 16, 2013

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In Japan, where the birthrate is dropping and the elderly population is rising, more schools are closing than opening. But in Kumamoto prefecture on the nation's southernmost island, Kyushu, the city of Uto was faced with an aging elementary school and nearly 800 youngsters to educate.

Yuko Nagayama & Associates

A rising young architect manages her own successful practice'and family'breaking ground in design and as a professional woman.

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

December 16, 2012

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The first thing you notice about architect Yuko Nagayama is her youth. She looks far too young to have built a five-story commercial building in Tokyo's upscale Minamiaoyama area, a stunning boutique for Louis Vuitton in the heart of Kyoto, and shops for the handbag brand Anteprima all over Asia.

Hironaka Ogawa & Associates

A Japanese architect doesn't lose sight of his rural roots'integrating notions of the landscape and nature into his built work with skill and respect.

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

December 16, 2012

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Based in Tokyo but born in a rural town on the island of Shikoku, Hironaka Ogawa still draws inspiration from the countryside.

Ellipse Sky

Labor of Love: Two young designers deliver a refined and spirited concrete structure to a client looking for a unique family home and rental complex.

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

November 15, 2012

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Soft concrete may be an oxymoron, but Ellipse Sky, a four-story residential building designed for an obstetrician, his family, and several tenants, deftly pokes holes in that notion.

Japanese School Restoration Wins the 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

November 9, 2012

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Faced with a dwindling birth rate and a rising elderly population, Japan has been closing schools right and left. But thanks to a group of concerned citizens, architects, and academics, the Hizuchi Elementary School—an exquisite example of Japan’s homegrown brand of Modernism located in a small town on the island of Shikoku—was restored beautifully instead. On November 13, the efforts of the Architectural Consortium that spearheaded the historic building’s salvation will be honored when they are presented with the 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Completed in the late 1950s,

100% Chocolate Café

Raising the Bar: Blending subtle kitsch with an array of classic materials, a Tokyo firm spins its client's specialty with alluring results.

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

September 16, 2012

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Meiji is Japan's largest chocolate manufacturer, and its 100% Chocolate Café, designed by the Tokyo-based firm Wonderwall, is a cocoa connoisseur's dream come true.

Futakotamagawa Rise Galleria

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

August 16, 2012

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Located at the edge of Tokyo, the Futakotamagawa Rise Galleria had the misfortune of being completed just six days after the Great Hanshin Earthquake jolted Japan on March 11, 2011.

House NA

Open House: A clear breach of form within a discreet city, this simple glass house raises the bar on transparent living for a working couple—and their neighbors.

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

April 16, 2012

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There's no running around naked in Sosuke Fujimoto's House NA. The 3-D matrix of tiny rooms and exterior terraces—all located on different floor levels—is encased almost entirely with see-through glass.

Shizugawa Banya

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

March 16, 2012

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Yasushi Takeuchi, a professor of architecture at Miyagi University in Sendai, was at school when the earthquake hit. In an instant, electricity and cell phones died. Two hours later, the land lines went. With nowhere to go, some 40 students flocked to the campus, blankets and food in hand. For two days they hunkered down in its generator-powered buildings. During that time, the plight of one budding architect’s family prompted the teacher to take action. His protégé’s father, an oyster fisherman, lost everything—dwelling, boats, workplace—when the tsunami washed away his coastal hometown of Shizugawa. “I asked him what he needed,”

Kamaishi City Proposal

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

March 16, 2012

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An advisor to the Kamaishi city government, Tokyo-based architect Toyo Ito has proposed a reconstruction scheme incorporating both built and landscape elements. Bordering the coast, the plan features berms, green belts, and sloped building sites for housing, intended to mitigate future flooding or tidal waves, while a “Fisherman’s Wharf” area and seaside park is planned to reinvigorate the city’s commercial center. ARCHITECT: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects. BUDGET: N/A. CONTEXT: Located on the Iwate Prefecture coast, Kamaishi City was heavily damaged on March 11. Though local citizens are keen to resurrect their town as before, the government envisions rebuilding on

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU

Join us for this insightful webinar, where we'll delve into the principles of biophilic design and acoustical strategies.

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU

This webinar will explore the growing use of mass timber in K-12 schools and its transformative benefits across four key areas: health, well-being, durability, and sustainability.