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Yo-Ichiro Hakomori, Ph.D., AIA

Director of Global Studies; Professor of Practice

 

BS, Whitman College M.Arch, UCLA Ph.D., Engineering in Architecture, University of Tokyo


Yo-ichiro Hakomori is a Design Principal at DesignARC - Los Angeles, and StudioHAU. DesignARC - Los Angeles is a multi-disciplinary design studio with a wide range of projects. Their work includes single and multi-family residential, small commercial, educational, and public - civic projects with work throughout the United States and parts of Asia. Hakomori received his Master of Architecture from the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Doctor of Engineering in Architecture from the University of Tokyo. Prior to joining DesignARC, he was founding partner at wHY Architecture and Design. Along with partner Kulapat Yantrasast, wHY Architecture completed the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the first LEED gold certified museum in the world in 2007. With their knowledge and passion for “invisible green” and art, wHY Architecture received numerous commissions for other art related projects throughout the country including the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky; gallery/exhibit design at the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts and at the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois; L&M Arts in Venice, California; Royal T Gallery and Café in Culver City, California; and the Perry Rubenstein Gallery in West Hollywood, California. Hakomori was also principal architect for the Tyler Museum of Art in Tyler, Texas; the Pomona College Studio Art Hall in Claremont, California; the Interpretive Green Bridge (Art Bridge) at the Great Wall of Los Angeles, in North Hollywood, California; and a number of single family residences in Los Angeles and Thailand. Hakomori has also taught at the University of Tokyo, Meiji University, Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, and at the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate studios and has been interested in the relationship between landscape, urbanism, art, and architecture, conducting studio projects exploring this topic. He also leads the USC Global Initiative study abroad program to Japan and China.


 
Currently Teaching
  • 406
    Global Studies Topics in Architecture, Urbanism, History & Art
    Global Studies Topics in Architecture, Urbanism, History & Art
    In preparation for the spring semester in Italy, this two-unit course introduces students to Italian history, to the history of Italian architecture, and to Italian culture. It includes a section on the history of Northern Europe. It prepares students for living in Italy in the Spring 2013 semester, for learning to interrogate and analyze diverse urban cultures, and for adapting to a different culture and language.
     
  • 424L
    Field Studies in Architecture
    Field Studies in Architecture
    Assignments rely principally on field trips and field research, while additional readings, class discussions and research will be utilized to develop a body of information and method of critique. Field research will focus on the first-hand observation, analysis, and documentation of existing buildings and their contexts so that lessons-learned can inform the design methodology applied in studio. Students will be challenged to articulate their analyses with respect to the specific urban, temporal, and cultural contexts. There will be ten assignments for each course: nine specific assignments and one assignment that you may choose the subject of yourself.
     
  • 425L
    Field Studies in Urbanism
    Field Studies in Urbanism
    The focus of ARCH 425 is on urban spaces, including parks, plazas, and urban(re)development projects. The field study of these urban spaces also provides an opportunity to understand the complex role of the architect-designer in the design of urban spaces. As a critical component of the urban environment, landscape architecture will be an important aspect of this class. These investigations will employ analytical methods, representational techniques, and speculative inquiry into the fundamental spatial and infra-structural elements of the city. Your research will be documented and communicated through mapping, plans/sections/elevations, diagrams, photo documentation and text.
     
  • 454
    Contemporary Asian Architecture
    Contemporary Asian Architecture

    This course is an introduction to the critical study of Asian architecture in China and Japan. We will also be looking at the importance of understanding architecture in the context of urban phenomena, and within this context, how it can evolve over time and reacted to forces of change. The development of contemporary architecture in China is, without a doubt, in continual flux which parallels its economic growth and globalization. On the other hand, Japan has been an integral part of the modern movement since post-World War II modernization and economic development. Japanese modern architecture hit the international scene with its inception of Metabolism, and has been a part of the global dialog of modernism since that time.

     

     
  • 500aL
    Comprehensive Architectural Design
    Comprehensive Architectural Design

    Selected areas of specialization; projects chosen from a variety of studio offerings, all with an emphasis on the comprehensive design of buildings. Prerequisite: 402abL. Corequisite: ARCH 501.


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    View the Spring 2021 Virtual EXPO Gallery

    View the Fall 2020 Virtual EXPO Gallery

     
 
Related News
08/01/24
Prof. Yo-ichiro Hakomori’s latest projects include the renovation of the Berkshire Museum and a sustainable residence in the Yucca Valley   Whether it’s the ...
04/27/21
Associate Professor of Practice Yo-ichiro Hakomori has received one of this year’s two USC Associates Awards for Artistic Expression, the highest honor the University faculty ...
 
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