is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Biography

Itsuko Hasegawa was born in Yaizu City, Japan in 1941. She studied at the Department of Architecture at

Kanto Gakuin University is a private university located in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. History It traces its roots to The Baptist Theological Seminary of Yokohama established by Albert Arnold Bennett, a missionary of the American Baptist Missionary Union, establis ...

, graduating in 1964. From then until 1969, she worked with

Kiyonori Kikutake (April 1, 1928 – December 26, 2011) was a prominent Japanese architect known as one of the founders of the Japanese Metabolist group. He was also the tutor and employer of several important Japanese architects, such as Toyo Ito, Shōzō Uc ...

and then spent two years studying at

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a national research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology, one of first five Designated National University and selected as ...

. From 1971-78 she worked under Kazuo Shinohara at the institute. She has lectured in

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and

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between 1984-7. She became the principal of her own design studio in Tokyo, called Itsuko Hasegawa Architectural Design Studio in 1976, which was renamed the Architectural Design Studio in 1979. In 1987, Hasegawa won first prize in a competition to design the Shonandai Cultural Centre. Initially, the design was not popular among the local residents, who were concerned on how the building would be buried below ground level. However, Hasegawa had many discussions with the residents, and when the opening phase of construction began in late 1989, the building was met with unanimous approval. In the summer of 1989, Hasegawa completed a design for the 270-seat theatre for the temporary four-month Nagoya Design exhibition. Hasegawa won an open competition for the design of the Niigata Performing Arts Centre. The project contains a 1,900-seat concert hall, a 900-seat theatre, and a 375-seat Noh theatre, and is surrounded by an eight-hectare landscape. The venue was constructed atop reclaimed land that used to be part of the Shinano River. Hasegawa is an Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

, and has received the Avon Arts Award, the Building Contractor's Society Prize for the Shonandai Cultural Center, the Cultural Award for Residential Architecture (Fukuoka, Japan), and a Design Prize from the

Architectural Institute of Japan The Architectural Institute of Japan, or AIJ, is a Japanese professional body for architects, building engineers, and researchers in architecture. The institute was founded in 1886 as an institute for architects. It was renamed the Architectural ...

Selected buildings

Yamanashi Fruit Museum and Garden, Japan

* Tokumaru children's clinic, Ehime (1979) * Aono building, Ehime (1980) * Bizan Hall, Shizuoka (1984) * Sugai Internal Clinic, Ehime (1986) * Shonandai Cultural Centre (1987-1990) (Competition awarded 1987. Design, 1987-1988; construction, 1989-1990) * Cardiff Bay Opera House; ''Japan Architect'', 19, 68-71, Autumn 1995 * Himi Seaside Botanical Garden; ''Japan Architect'', 19, 64-67, Autumn 1995 * Yamanashi Fruit Museum and Garden; ''Japan Architect'', 19, 48-57, Autumn 1995 * Niigata City Performing Arts Centre; 1993-1998. ''Japan Architect'', 19, 44-47, Autumn 1995 * Sumida Culture Factory, 1994 * Namekawa Housing, 1998

Selected awards

* Design Prize from the Architectural Institute of Japan for the Bizan Hall (1986) * Japan Cultural Design Award for residential projects * Elected as an Honorary Fellows of RIBA * Japan Art Academy Award (2000) * Honorary Degree Award from University College London * Elected as an Honorary Fellow of AIA

Selected writings

* ''Itsuko Hasegawa'', Academy Editions, 1993. . * ''Itsuko Hasegawa'', with Stephen Dobney, Images Pub. Group, 1997. . * ''Island Hopping - Crossover Architecture'', NAi Publishers, 2000. .

References

External links