Satoshi Okada architects(SOA) pursues intensity of beauty in architecture as its core value. Its designs are conceived to stimulate sensual perception: physical interactions and experiences between human and architectures thus overcome cultural and geographical barriers, triggering intuition above rational comprehension. SOA maintains an open-minded attitude towards the most unconventional desiderata and engages with careful and heartfelt design at all scales, a broad variety of appointments and opportunities, ranging from those designs of public facilities to residential buildings and furniture to products. Each project by SOA is enriched and verified through frequent and consolidated collaboration with external expertises: SOA yields a multitude of construction techniques to best suit each unique design. Profoundly conscious of the environmental impact of its products, SOA is committed to maintain and thrive the beauty of the collective ecosystem through excellence in quality.
Satoshi Okada founded SOA in Tokyo, 1995. Okada had spent about 10 years as an architectural historian in the field of Architecture of Classicism, particularly focusing on the 18th Century Italian architecture. In the research activities, having consulted numerous documents and visited many cities and villages, he was made aware of 'something beautiful' still appreciated even after thousands of years, and the sensitivity and wisdom stimulated by those artifices have fostered a firm faculty for his architectural activities. Therefore, Okada's architectural design practice pursues a unique aesthetics that has nothing to do with fashions nor trends, and his attitude has never changed and will no longer waver.
The essence of Okada's design philosophy is "a pursuit of beauty that still function even after stripped down to the minimum." "Too much of anything is good for nothing" goes for everything. As with architecture, what is the most difficult in the process of sophistication is where to stop hands, of which Okada is always conscious from a large scale to any detail in architecture.
The goal is to create "architecture that exudes a sense of presence just by being there", but without being eccentric, I think of expressing “intensity of architecture” with appreciation of every encounter in a humble manner. Through the repetition, I hope to create architecture enough beautiful beyond expression.
Satoshi Okada was graduated from GSAPP, Columbia University (MSBD) in1989, received Ph.D., Waseda University in 1993, and has been awarded several awards in and out of Japan, the most remarkable one is the Grand prix at Dedalo Minosse International Prize in 2006. He is an Honorary Member of ALA-assoarchitetti, Italy from 2008. Okada has taught architectural designs as well as lectured on his works with design philosophy as a Visiting Professor in major universities around the world.
- FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
- Satoshi Okada
- MANAGING DIRECTOR
- Lisa (Tomiyama) Okada
- TEAM
- Tatsuya Terada
Daiki Kamiike, Rukiya Matsui, Tomoya Ogihara, Kazuki Shinotani, Miyoko Fukuda - COLLABORATORS
- Eiji Iwase, Isao Kato, Jun Horiguchi, Daikichi Homma, Lucia Rocchelli
SATOSHI OKADA
Founder and director. Born in Hyogo, 1962, Satoshi Okada graduated at Waseda University, Tokyo and at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Columbia University, New York, in 1989; later on he conducted research as a visiting scholar under Kenneth Frampton’s mentorship.Later on he conducted research as a visiting scholar at Columbia University and received his Ph.D. from Waseda University, Tokyo in 1993. Satoshi Okada had been appointed research fellowships by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, by the Japan Fashion Association (1992-93), by the Ministry of Education (Fellowship for Distinguished Researcher, 1993-96) and by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs (Fellowship for Distinguished Artists, 1996 -97).
In 1995 he founded Satoshi Okada architects Inc. in Tokyo.
RESEARCH
Along with the design activity, Satoshi Okada pursues ongoing research: he taught at the Design Institute for Architecture and Environment, University of Shiga, Japan and, since 2006, he is Associate Professor of Architectural Design and Theory at the Graduate School of Architecture, Chiba University, Japan.
Okada has been visiting professor and lecturer in several universities and cultural institutions both in Japan and abroad (e.g. IUAV, Venice, Italy; TU Delft, The Netherlands; Ajman University of Science and Technology, UAE; ETH Zurich, Switzerland and others).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
His achievements have been acknowledged internationally with the Grand-prix Dedalo Minosse 2005-2006 (IT), The Chicago Atheneum International Architecture Award 2010 (USA), The International Property Awards Asia Pacific, Best Architecture ? Single Residence 2012 (UK) and others.
In Japan his work was praised by the Good Design Awards (2005, 2007 and 2008 editions) and by the Toyota Foundation Research Fellowship (2010-2011) among others.
SATOSHI OKADA ARCHITECTS
1-6-31-4F K S Building, Higashi Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-0002, Japan
t +81 42 505 5065
f +81 42 505 5066
