Biography
As they formulate their designs, Shingo Masuda and Katsuhisa Otsubo make careful observations of the daily activities planned for a site and the existing context, pinpointing the elements that can contribute most to shaping the location. Establishing a bold presence that melds into the surroundings, their architectural projects challenge preconceptions and bring fresh wonder to familiar everyday landscapes.
After graduating from university, they founded their joint architectural firm, Shingo Masuda + Katsuhisa Otsubo (2007). Major projects include Mark the Land, Tokyo (2019); Bind Barn, Kanagawa, Japan (2018); House with City, Tokyo (2018); Initiative Roof, Tokyo (2016); Living Pool, Yamagata (2014) and Boundary Window, Tokyo (2014). Their work was the subject of an exhibition titled Shingo Masuda + Katsuhisa Otsubo: Is It Truly Necessary? at TOTO Gallery Ma, Tokyo (2020). They were also selected to be part of the team for the Japanese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2016), where their work received special mention.
The architectural duo has received the 32nd Yoshioka Prize (2016) and the AR Emerging Architecture Award (2014). Masuda has been an associate professor at Meiji University, Tokyo (2019) and Baird Visiting Critic, Cornell University, Ithaca, US (2015). They have also released their first monograph, Adaptation Shingo Masuda + Katsuhisa Otsubo (TOTO Publishing, 2020).
Masuda graduated from Musashino Art University, Tokyo (2007), and Otsubo from Tokyo University of the Arts (2007). Masuda was born in 1982 in Tokyo, and Otsubo in 1983 in Saitama, Japan. They live and work in Tokyo.
SAF participation:
Sharjapan 3 – Remain Calm: Tranquility, Solitude and Connectivity in Japanese Architecture (2020)