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About the Exhibitor
Message from the Exhibitor
Come on-a My Hut!
I have worked mainly on the design of houses and furniture for the past thirty-some years since I established my independent practice when I was 32 years old. While I have designed several restaurants, cafes, and small private museums during these years, the majority of my work has been residential.
I would like to say that I have never cared for big projects and that I have devoted myself completely to housing. The truth is, however, the big projects are the ones that have not taken any interest in me. Yet, this is just as I had been hoping for, as my greatest interests as an architect have always been in the lifestyles and living spaces of people. I am thus grateful to have been able to focus my work on housing design without ever having to be overwhelmed by big projects.
My interests in the lifestyles and living spaces of people led me to think about the question: What is a house? I began to believe from some point in time that the “hut” must be the archetype of the house. I have since made many travels to huts in all places and from all ages, including Le Corbusier’s holiday hut in the south of France, Bernard Shaw’s hut outside of London, and Kotaro Takamura’s hut in Hanamaki, Iwate. For about eight years now, I have been enjoying living a simple life in a hut of my own (Lemm Hut, Nagano, 2005), through which I am striving to achieve an energy self-sufficient lifestyle while engaging with myself and the blessings of nature.
This exhibition, which I have titled “Come on-a My Hut!”, is intended as a respectful homage from a hut-enthusiast architect to the “hut”.
I will be sharing my thoughts on the masterpiece huts from across the world and ages that have long lived in my mind, while also presenting the huts and hut-like housing projects that I have designed to this day. In the courtyard, there will be displayed an “ultimate hut” designed for one resident that will stand as a symbol of the exhibition.
It is my wish that the huts in this exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for each visitor to think about the question: What is a house?
I have worked mainly on the design of houses and furniture for the past thirty-some years since I established my independent practice when I was 32 years old. While I have designed several restaurants, cafes, and small private museums during these years, the majority of my work has been residential.
I would like to say that I have never cared for big projects and that I have devoted myself completely to housing. The truth is, however, the big projects are the ones that have not taken any interest in me. Yet, this is just as I had been hoping for, as my greatest interests as an architect have always been in the lifestyles and living spaces of people. I am thus grateful to have been able to focus my work on housing design without ever having to be overwhelmed by big projects.
My interests in the lifestyles and living spaces of people led me to think about the question: What is a house? I began to believe from some point in time that the “hut” must be the archetype of the house. I have since made many travels to huts in all places and from all ages, including Le Corbusier’s holiday hut in the south of France, Bernard Shaw’s hut outside of London, and Kotaro Takamura’s hut in Hanamaki, Iwate. For about eight years now, I have been enjoying living a simple life in a hut of my own (Lemm Hut, Nagano, 2005), through which I am striving to achieve an energy self-sufficient lifestyle while engaging with myself and the blessings of nature.
This exhibition, which I have titled “Come on-a My Hut!”, is intended as a respectful homage from a hut-enthusiast architect to the “hut”.
I will be sharing my thoughts on the masterpiece huts from across the world and ages that have long lived in my mind, while also presenting the huts and hut-like housing projects that I have designed to this day. In the courtyard, there will be displayed an “ultimate hut” designed for one resident that will stand as a symbol of the exhibition.
It is my wish that the huts in this exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for each visitor to think about the question: What is a house?
Yoshifumi Nakamura
Profile
©Hideya Amemiya
Yoshifumi Nakamura
Born in Chiba, Japan in 1948. Graduated from the Department of Architecture of the Musashino Art University in 1972. Worked at the office of architect Tsunenobu Shinji from 1972 to 1974, before studying furniture making in the Woodworking Department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Shinagawa Vocational Training Center. Worked at the office of architect Junzo Yoshimura from 1976 to 1980. Established his independent practice named the Lemming House in 1981. Professor of the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering at the College of Industrial Technology Nihon University since 1999.
Awarded the 1st Yoshioka Prize for the Mitani Hut in 1987 and the 18th Yoshida Isoya Prize Special Award for his cumulative body of housing projects.
His representative works include the Mitani Hut (Nagano, 1985), House in Kazusa I & II (Chiba, 1991 & 1992), museum as it is (Chiba, 1994), House in Ogigayatsu (Kanagawa, 1998), Rei Hut (Tochigi, 2001), Itami Juzo Museum (Ehime, 2007) and the Hut in Meigetsudani (Kanagawa, 2007).
His publications include Jutaku junrei [A Pilgrimage of Houses] (Shinchosha, 2000), Jutaku dokuhon [The House Reader] (Shinchosha, 2004), Ichu no kenchiku [The Architecture in My Mind] (Shinchosha, 2005), Fudangi no jutakujutsu [Design Techniques for Casual-Wear Housing] (Okokusha, 2002), Jutaku junrei futatabi [A Pilgrimage of Houses Once Again] (Chikumashobo, 2010), and Nakamura Yoshifumi: Futsu no jutaku, futsu no besso [Yoshifumi Nakamura: Ordinary Houses, Ordinary Cottages] (TOTO Publishing, 2010). His co-authored books include Fushin no tenmatsu [The Circumstances of Building], co-authored with Hiroshi Kashiwagi (Iwanami Shoten, 2001).
Born in Chiba, Japan in 1948. Graduated from the Department of Architecture of the Musashino Art University in 1972. Worked at the office of architect Tsunenobu Shinji from 1972 to 1974, before studying furniture making in the Woodworking Department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Shinagawa Vocational Training Center. Worked at the office of architect Junzo Yoshimura from 1976 to 1980. Established his independent practice named the Lemming House in 1981. Professor of the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering at the College of Industrial Technology Nihon University since 1999.
Awarded the 1st Yoshioka Prize for the Mitani Hut in 1987 and the 18th Yoshida Isoya Prize Special Award for his cumulative body of housing projects.
His representative works include the Mitani Hut (Nagano, 1985), House in Kazusa I & II (Chiba, 1991 & 1992), museum as it is (Chiba, 1994), House in Ogigayatsu (Kanagawa, 1998), Rei Hut (Tochigi, 2001), Itami Juzo Museum (Ehime, 2007) and the Hut in Meigetsudani (Kanagawa, 2007).
His publications include Jutaku junrei [A Pilgrimage of Houses] (Shinchosha, 2000), Jutaku dokuhon [The House Reader] (Shinchosha, 2004), Ichu no kenchiku [The Architecture in My Mind] (Shinchosha, 2005), Fudangi no jutakujutsu [Design Techniques for Casual-Wear Housing] (Okokusha, 2002), Jutaku junrei futatabi [A Pilgrimage of Houses Once Again] (Chikumashobo, 2010), and Nakamura Yoshifumi: Futsu no jutaku, futsu no besso [Yoshifumi Nakamura: Ordinary Houses, Ordinary Cottages] (TOTO Publishing, 2010). His co-authored books include Fushin no tenmatsu [The Circumstances of Building], co-authored with Hiroshi Kashiwagi (Iwanami Shoten, 2001).
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