Residential Architecture by Kazuo Shinohara is the first English translation of one of the most significant texts in the history of Japanese architecture — originally published in 1964 as Jūtaku kenchiku, it was mandatory reading for generations of architecture students in Japan and has deeply influenced Toyo Ito, Kazuyo Sejima, Ryue Nishizawa, and others who have defined the field internationally.
About This Book
Kazuo Shinohara (1925–2006) occupies a singular position in postwar Japanese architecture: a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, a designer of more than thirty residential buildings, and a theorist whose writing on housing articulated a vision of architecture as art rather than service. Residential Architecture comprises three chapters: the first on traditional Japanese architecture, which Shinohara understood as the foundation of his theory and practice; the second on his design method; and the third on seven early residential projects through which he illustrates his approach. Translated by architectural historian David B. Stewart and architects Shin-ichi Okuyama and Kenichi Nakamura, the text is published here in English for the first time, edited by Christian Dehli and Andrea Grolimund of Zurich, who in 2022 oversaw the reconstruction of Shinohara’s relocated Umbrella House. The bilingual edition presents the text in English and Japanese.
Key Features
- First English translation of Shinohara’s landmark 1964 text
- Translated by David B. Stewart, Shin-ichi Okuyama, and Kenichi Nakamura
- Edited by Christian Dehli and Andrea Grolimund of Dehli Grolimund, Zurich
- Bilingual edition — English and Japanese throughout
What You'll Discover
- Shinohara’s theory of traditional Japanese architecture and how it underpins his design practice
- His design method and its application across seven early residential projects
- Why Residential Architecture became mandatory reading for generations of Japanese architecture students
- The ideational foundations of a practice that has shaped some of the most important Japanese architects of the past fifty years
About the Author
Kazuo Shinohara (1925–2006) is one of the most eminent and influential modern Japanese architects. He graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1953 and became a professor there in 1970. Over his career he designed more than thirty residential buildings and numerous key public buildings across Japan. His work is widely studied in Japan and has had a significant international influence.
Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 284
- Dimensions: 13 x 20 cm
- Language: English / Japanese
- ISBN: 9783038604587
- Publisher: Park Books
- Publication Date: 2026
Perfect For: Architects, architecture students, and historians with an interest in Japanese architecture, residential design theory, and the intellectual foundations of contemporary Japanese practice