takaharu tezuka was born in tokyo, japan in 1964.
he studied architecture at musashi institute of technology
and continued on with his masters at the university of
pennsylvania. upon graduating in 1990, he went on to
work for the richard rogers partnership for 4 years.

yui tezuka was born in kanagawa, japan in 1969.
she also attended the musashi institute of technology
and then studied at the bartlett school of architecture,
university college in london for a year.

in 1994, the pair established 'tezuka architects' in tokyo.
since its formation the studio has realized a number of
prize winning projects across japan. in recent years tezuka
architects have been awarded: the ministryof economy,
trade and industry, kids design gold prize (2007)
and the architectural institution of japan prize (2008).
both takaharu and yui tezuka are visiting lecturers in their
native japan and overseas. in 2006, they released the book
'takaharu + yui tezuka architecture catalogue', a publication
of their collaborative works to date.

http://www.tezuka-arch.com

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designboom met takaharu and yui tezuka
in singapore on november 30, 2007.
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what is the best moment of the day?
t: returning home, seeing the smiles of our children.

what kind of music do you listen to at the moment?
t: kid's music - that's all we can listen to.
we like jazz, but our children don't, so, at the moment
we can't listen to it so much.
just, (sings) doh, re, me, do-o-o-h.
I also play some piano.

do you listen to the radio?
t: no, not at all. we also stopped watching TV
so that our children don't watch it,
except educational movies.

what books do you have on your bedside table?
t: none - no books.

do you read design and architecture magazines?
t: sometimes it's necessary, but it's more important to
understand everyday life.

where do you get news from?
t: we're always the last ones to receive news!

do you have any pets?
t: yes, we have a turtle.

when you were a child, did you want
to become an architect?
t: maybe we were meant to become architects because
my father is also an architect. he wanted to work for
oscar niemeyer, but he couldn't because my brother
was disabled and needed his help. my wife's father is
also an architect - so we have an architectural background.

I assume you see how women dress.
do you have any preferences?
t: well, that's my preference (points to yui).
it's very simple. actually, we don't like cosmetics.
if you put so much paint on your face, your husband
will be disappointed when you go to bed.
y: I like red, my husband’s things are almost all blue,
and the things we share - our car,
for example - are all yellow.

where do you work on your designs and projects?
t: just in the office.

describe your style, like a good friend of yours
would describe it.
t: it's friendly to human beings, just architecture
that understands daily life (finding comfort is
very difficult). a space where people can feel the
breeze, the sunlight, the changing of the seasons,
where they can forge and nourish relationships
with one another. the building should also be
in harmony with the landscape.

please describe an evolution in your work,
from your first projects to the present day.
t: it hasn't changed much. we started to explore how
the meaning of architecture has never changed
from the beginning of mankind until now.
the japanese have the conviction that the amount
of floor space is directly linked to better quality
of living. but we think it is a combination of many
more things. a lot of freedom of movement,
fresh air circulation, natural lighting...
which is not to say that these buildings are ordinary.
although we use more or less conventional
construction methods, in each project some aspect
is always pushed to its limits. this is always based
on function, only incidentally on shape.

what project has given you the most satisfaction?
t: 'roof house'. though it is the smallest and the
cheapest of our projects, it is still the most
important one. life expands onto the roof, we just
ensured that each family member has access to
a gently sloped wooden roof - receiving skylight.

is there any designer and/or architect from the past,
you appreciate a lot?
y: we especially like louis kahn's work.
t: le corbusier, and of course our ex boss (richard rogers).

what advice would you give to the young?



t: not to follow famous architects.
they should try to find answers in themselves.
these days everyone is trying to do the same things,
wavy roofs and shiny surfaces. maybe they will find
answers in their own lifestyle.

what are ethics in architecture?



y: we believe beauty is one of the structural agencies.
beauty exists quite closely to rationality.
t: beauty has a reason. when a building is lit at day,
it is just a lighting scheme. but the night view of a city
is very different. people love night views because you
see the life behind each light. that liveliness brings beauty.
you can make something different every time, but it is very
hard to achieve healthy and lively beauty.

what are you afraid of regarding the future?
t: we are not afraid of anything.