Makoto Sei Watanabe

Makoto Sei Watanabe is a Japanese architect.
He has been experimenting with programmatic generation of architecture since the 1990s, and has already been developing and implementing AI since 2001.
His activities encompass not only architectural design but also research, artwork, drawing, organizing international competitions, and even writing a novel.

Biography

In junior high school, he belonged to the biology club. In high school, he aspired to study biology at university, but on the recommendation of his biology teacher, he chose architecture as a field that combines both science and art.
He graduated from Yokohama National University Graduate School in 1976, worked at Arata Isozaki Atelier, and then started MAKOTO SEI WATANABE / ARCHITECTS' OFFICE in 1984.
His first actual work, "AOYAMA TECHNICAL COLLEGE", which was the winning entry of the international competition, attracted attention for its bold design.
And another series in a different direction, a project called "JELLY FISH", which could be described as minimalism, was announced at the same time as "AOYAMA TECHNICAL COLLEGE".
Concurrently, he explored theoretical aspects and, based on his interest in biology, conducted research that viewed cities and architecture not from the perspective of conventional 'design' but from that of 'generation'.
He then released "INDUCTION DESIGN" as a method of generating architecture and cities using computer programs by algorithmizing the conditions to be solved. This method, later termed "ALGOrithmic Design", culminated in "SUBWAY STATION / IIDABASHI" .
Subsequently, he developed the AI program "program of FLOW" based on this method and used it to complete "Tsukuba Express / Kashiwanoha-Campus Station" .
Its successor AI program, "pBM: project Beautiful Mind", is under development.
In addition, he has received numerous awards both in Japan and abroad, including for his artwork "FIBER WAVE" . He has also authored many books, and served as a university professor at home and abroad.