Hiroto Kobayashi
Principal, Kobayashi Maki Design Workshop
Professor, Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus
Hiroto Kobayashi studied architecture at Kyoto University, where he earned his bachelor's (1986) and master's (1988) degrees. Later in his career, Kobayashi earned a Master in Design Studies (1992) and Doctor of Design (2003) from Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), where he was also a Fulbright Scholar. His doctoral dissertation focused on the traditional Japanese "Cho" community form.
Kobayashi started his career as an architect at Nikken Sekkei and later gained additional experience abroad at firms including Foster and Partners prior to starting his own practice. In 2003, he co-founded Kobayashi Maki Design Workshop (KMDW) with Naomi Maki in Tokyo. From 2004 to 2022, KMDW served as the Japan liaison office for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). Kobayashi initiated the Veneer House project after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
In 2003, Kobayashi began teaching at Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus, where he still serves as a professor. He has held visiting professorship and researcher positions at GSD, MIT, UC Berkeley, and Ljubljana University. Kobayashi serves as an advisor to some of Tokyo's foremost districts, including Ginza, Nihonbashi, and Tsukiji, on participatory community planning and design. His work encompasses a full range of design scales, from furniture design to urban design.
Kobayashi’s teaching and practice explores the interplay between people, space, and time in shaping the living environment. He emphasizes understanding and appreciating the nuances of each local context to craft a unique solution that fits the community’s needs. He believes the role of a designer is to serve as a conduit for the community’s wishes and needs to take tangible form.
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EMPLOYMENT
2010–2012 — Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visiting Associate Professor. Cambridge, MA, USA
2005–present — Keio University, Associate Professor. Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
2004–2024 — Skidmore Owings and Merrill LLP, Japan Representative/Liaison. Tokyo, Japan
2003–present — Kobayashi Maki Design Workshop, Principal in partnership with Naomi Maki. Tokyo, Japan
2003–2005 — Visiting Associate, Harvard Design School. Cambridge, MA, USA
2003–2005 — Lecturer, Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus. Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
2001 (fall) — Teaching fellow of "Tokyo Studio" with Dean Peter G. Rowe, Harvard Design School. Cambridge, MA, USA
2000 (spring) — Teaching fellow for "Kazuyo Sejima Studio" with Kazuyo Sejima, Harvard Design School. Cambridge, MA, USA
1993–1994 — Sir Norman Foster and Partners. Frankfurt, Germany
1988–1996 — Nikken Sekkei Ltd. Tokyo, Japan
2003 — Harvard Design School, Doctor of Design. Cambridge, MA, USA
1999–2000 — Harvard Design School, Visiting Scholar. Cambridge, MA, USA
1992 — Harvard Design School, Master in Design Studies. Cambridge, MA, USA
1988 — Kyoto University Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Architecture. Kyoto, Japan
1982–1986 — Master of Engineering in Architecture, Kyoto University Department of Architecture. Kyoto, Japan; Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture
1990 — Registered Architect (first grade) in Japan; Member of Architectural Institute of Japan; Member of City Planning Institute of Japan; Harvard Design School Alumni/ae Council Member
2001–2002 — Obayashi Foundation Grant for Research on urban transformation using GIS
2000–2002 — Harvard University Graduate School of Design, GSD Grant
1999–2001 — Asahi Glass Grant for a Research on a Japanese Suburban Town
1999–2000 — Fulbright Grant for Research Program
2016 — Art and Society, "Toward Architecture in the Era of Empathy." Tokyo-shoseki
2013 — Quasi-dense City-Tokyo: Toward a New Middle Landscape, Mn'M Workbook 1, Intensities in Ten Cities (Measuring the Non-Measurable 03). Flic Studio
2002 — CASE: Toyo Ito Sendai Mediatheque, "Processing Incompletion." Prestell/Harvard Design School
EDUCATION
AWARDS
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS