The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law

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Hitoshi Abe

Director, Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Center of Japanese Studies

Professor of Architecture and Urban Design

Terasaki Chair for Contemporary Japanese Study

In 1992, Dr. Hitoshi Abe won first prize in the Miyagi Stadium competition, and since then he has maintained an active international design practice based in Sendai, Japan, and Los Angeles. Known for architecture that is spatially complex and structurally innovative, the work of Atelier Hitoshi Abe has been published and received numerous awards in Japan and internationally, including: the 2011 Japan Society for Finishing Technology Award for the F-town building; 2009 Contractworld Award for Aoba-tei; 2009 Architectural Institute of Japan Award 144 for the K-Museum; 2009 Architectural Institute of Japan Education Award; 2008 SIA-Getz Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia; 2007 World Architecture Award for M/Kanno Museum; 2005 Good Design Award for Sasaki Office Factory for Prosthetics; 2003 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for Reihoku Community Hall; 2003 BusinessWeek and Architectural Record Award for Sekii Ladies Clinic; 2001 Building Contractors Society Award for Miyagi Stadium; and 1999 Yoshioka Award for Yomiuri Media Miyagi Guest House.

He opened a second office in Los Angeles in 2008 to work on a series of projects outside of Japan including invited competitions and exhibition installations.

Professor Abe was the chair of UCLA Architecture and Urban Design from 2007-2017, is currently the director of Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, and holds the Terasaki Chair for contemporary Japanese study. In 2017, he established xLAB, an international think tank initiative that examines architecture’s elastic boundaries and considers new possibilities through interdisciplinary collaboration in the study of the future built environment.