Firm Description

2011 AIA GOLD MEDAL: Maki earned his M.Arch from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1953 and another from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 1954. He took a job as an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he was commissioned to design Steinberg Hall on the university’s Danforth Campus. His next commission wasn’t until 1993, when he designed the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

FROM THE ARCHITECT:

Maki and Associates was established in 1965 by Fumihiko Maki, upon his return from a 10-year period of study, teaching, and practice in the United States. The office has been based in Tokyo throughout its 47-year history, and is currently staffed by forty-five architects, urban designers, and administrative personnel. This size has been purposefully limited to enable Maki to maintain a close working relationship with each firm member, and daily involvement with each project. Maki personally takes a leadership role in all commissions from design inception through to completion, and is committed to be available for direct client consultation – not simply responsive, but pro-active in addressing client needs.

As a mid-sized office, decision-making and communication at Maki and Associates retain the directness of smaller organizations. Each member of the office is involved in and responsible for all aspects of projects, from budget and programming, through design drawing and detailing, to construction supervision. This unique structure has allowed the office to tackle larger scale, complex projects without sacrificing the attention to quality and detail that has been the basis of the firm’s work throughout its long history.