Takaharu Tezuka


Takaharu Tezuka is a Japanese architect. In 1994, he and his wife Yui Tezuka founded the Tokyo-based firm Tezuka Architects. Projects by Tezuka Architects include the Roof House, Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science, Fuji Kindergarten and Woods of Net. Their recent awards include Japan Institute of Architects Prize, Association for Children's Environment Design Award, OECD/CELE 4th Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities and a Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

Career

Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964, Takaharu Tezuka studied architecture at Musashi Institute of Technology and at the University of Pennsylvania. He then went to London where spent four years with the Richard Rogers Partnership.
In 1994, together with his wife, Yui Tezuka, he established Tezuka Architects in Tokyo. The couple's work emphasizes human activity and connectivity as can be seen in their schools, office buildings and hospitals.

Brief career history

Main works

  • 1996 – Soejima Hospital
  • 1999 – Wood Deck House
  • 2000 – Megaphone House
  • 2000 – Kawagoe Music Apartment
  • 2001 – Roof House
  • 2001 – Balcony House
  • 2001 – Wall-less House
  • 2002 – Saw Roof House
  • 2003 – Matsunoyama Natural Science Museum　
  • 2003 – Engawa House
  • 2003 – TOYOTA L&F HIROSHIMA
  • 2003 – House to catch the sky III
  • 2005 – Visionary Arts, Tokyo
  • 2005 – Floating Roof House
  • 2006 – Eaves House
  • 2006 – Sandou house 　
  • 2006 – Observatory Room House 　　　　　　　
  • 2006 – My Own Sky House
  • 2007 – Cloister House
  • 2007 – Fuji Kindergarten
  • 2007 -House to Catch the Sunlight
  • 2007 – Kanjoin Kannondo
  • 2007 – Kumejima Eef Beach Hotel　
  • 2007 – House to Catch the Hill
  • 2007 – Wilful Townhouse
  • 2007 – House to Catch the Sea
  • 2007 – GRV
  • 2007 – Temple to catch the forest
  • 2009 – Woods of Net
  • 2009 – Pitched Roof House
  • 2009 – Drawer House
  • 2009 – Umbrella House
  • 2010 – House of Ship
  • 2010 – Snail House
  • 2011 – Step House in a Shopping Street
  • 2011 – Ring Around a Tree
  • 2011 – OG Giken Tokyo branch
  • 2012 – OG Giken Kyushu branch
  • 2012 – House to Catch the Mountain
  • 2012 – Deck House
  • 2012 – Asahi Kindergarten
  • 2012 – Yamamotochou Fuji Kindergarten
  • 2013 – Child Chemo House
  • 2013 – Chigasaki Zion Christian Church/Mihato Kindergarten

Fuji Kindergarten

Fuji Kindergarten in Japan, designed by architect Takaharu Tezuka, emphasizing the idea that children do not need to be forced to learn but they naturally cannot stop. The kindergarten is an open-air kindergarten, designed to encourage and facilitate social interaction between students as well as discovery-style learning. Students are encouraged to design their own learning environment through the use of crates to separate classrooms, trees are left to grow within the structure of the kindergarten that students are able to climb, and additional structures within the kindergarten allow for exploration for students to delve into and discover in a collaborative manner.

Exhibitions

  • Japan-Poland: New Architecture / 1994–2004
  • Venice Biennale / 2004
  • Aichi expo, Japan /2005
  • Gallery Ma, Japan / 2006
  • London Biennale /2006
  • Inax Gallery, Tokyo /2007
  • Deutsches Architektur Museum Exhibition, Frankfurt /2009
  • Contemplating The Void: Interventions In The Guggenneim Museum, New York/ 2010
  • JapanLisztRaiding, Austria/2010
  • Carnegie International 2013

Awards

  • 1997 – Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Good Design Gold Prize
  • 1998 – Architectural Institution of Japan, Annual Architectural Commendations
  • 2002 – Japan Institute of Architects Prize Yoshioka Prize
  • 2002 – Yoshioka Foundation
  • 2003 – Architectural Institution of Japan, Annual Architectural Commendations
  • 2003 – Good Design Prize, Japan Industrial Design Organization,
  • 2004 – Good Design Prize, Japan Industrial Design Organization
  • 2004 – Ecobuild Award, Ecobuild Japan
  • 2004 – the Architectural Review
  • 2005 – Architectural Institution of Japan, Annual Architectural Commendations
  • 2007 – Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Interaction Design Prize
  • 2007 – Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kids Design Gold Prize
  • 2007 – Association for Children's Environment, ACE Award Design Category
  • 2007 – Design for Asia Grand Award
  • 2007 – Highly Commended, the Architectural Review
  • 2008 – Architectural Institution of Japan Prize
  • 2009 – The Japan Institute of Architects Prize, the Japan Institute of Architects
  • 2009 – The Architecture Award, Asia Pacific Property Awards 2009
  • 2011 – Association for Children's Environment Design Award
  • 2011 – The Best of All, OECD/CELE 4th Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities
  • 2011 – Good Design Prize, Japan Industrial Design Organization
  • 2013 – Association for Children's Environment Design Award
  • 2013 – Architectural Institution of Japan, Annual Architectural Commendations
  • 2013 – Good Design Gold Award, Japan Industrial Design Organization
  • 2013 – Good Design Prize, Japan Industrial Design Organization
  • 2017 – Global Award for Sustainable Architecture

Publication

  • Tezuka, Takaharu, and Yui Tezuka. Takaharu + Yui Tezuka Architecture Catalogue. Tokyo: TOTO Publishing, 2006.
  • Tezuka, Takaharu, and Yui Tezuka. Takaharu + Yui Tezuka Architecture Catalogue 2. Tokyo: TOTO Publishing, 2009.
  • Tezuka, Takaharu, and Yui Tezuka. Takaharu + Yui Tezuka Architecture Catalogue 3. Tokyo: TOTO Publishing, 2015.
  • Tezuka, Takaharu, and Yui Tezuka. Takaharu + Yui Tezuka NOSTALGIC FUTURE ERINNERTE ZUKUNFT. Edited by Paul Andreas and Peter Cachola Schmal. JOVIS Verlag Berlin 2009
  • Tezuka, Takaharu, and Yui Tezuka. ROOFLESS ARCHITECTURE / Summer Academy Salzburg. Edited by Miyako Nairz. Salzburg: Huttegger, 2008.
  • Tezuka, Takaharu, and Yui Tezuka. FLOORLESS ARCHITECTURE / Summer Academy Salzburg. Edited by Miyako Nairz. Salzburg: Huttegger, 2008.
  • Tezuka Architects – The Yellow Book, JOVIS Verlag Berlin 2016,