Architectural Historian, Professor
Koichi KATO received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 2001 for his doctoral dissertation on the history of Gothic architecture. Since joining the University of Tokyo as an associate professor in 2011, he has been conducting research on the reuse of historical architecture and published “Architecture in Time: Survival of Buildings through History and Social Change” in 2017, which won the Suntory Academic Prize（Art and Literature), the Architectural Institute of Japan Award (Thesis), and the Prize of the Society of Architectural Historians of Japan, etc. Since 2018, he has been a professor at the University of Tokyo.
Website: http://www.history.arch.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kato/index.html
Interview
Q1: How are you collaborating with SEKISUI HOUSE-KUMA LAB?
A1: Advisor of SEKISUI HOUSE – KUMA LAB
Q2: What is in your photo?
A2: Part of bookshelves at home.
Q3: Please let us know if the photo contains something worth mentioning.
A3: Antoine Picon, The Materiality of Architecture, Univ of Minnesota Press, 2021.
サラ・ワイズ『塗りつぶされた町：ヴィクトリア期英国のスラムに生きる』栗原泉訳、紀伊國屋書店、2018年。
Q4: Tell us about your recent interests.
A4: The major field of my research is architectural history and theory. Recent research topics are (1) Tectonics and architectural history, (2) Architecture in time and history of architectural re-use, (3) Materiality of Architecture, and so on. We are in the midst of major social changes. The modern era of overwhelming growth is coming to an end. The population has also begun to decline. The main objective of my research is to study how the roles of architecture and cities will change in this era from a historical perspective.
Q5: How do you want to be part of SEKISUI HOUSE – KUMA LAB?
A5: I myself would like to pursue research on the present and future of architecture from a historical/theoretical perspective by running in tandem with the activities of SEKISUI HOUSE – KUMA LAB.