SEIYA FURUKAWA
SAY IT LOUD - North Carolina Exhibitor
North Carolina Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Local architecture firms and their works inspires me in terms of the impact that they have on the community and what I want to do in the future as an architect.
SEIYA FURUKAWA
Bio:
The great designer, Seiya Furukawa, a third-year architecture student studying at the School of Architecture at North Carolina State University. Both of my parents are Japanese Immigrants, and I grew up having a lot of exposure to the Japanese language and culture. My favorite architects are Peter Zumthor, Olson Kundig Architects, and Kengo Kuma just to list a few. By my personal favorite work of architecture that I have visited would be the High Line in New York City by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
Architecture has been a relatively close part of my life as I grew up since my father is an architect. I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in architecture later in high school since I felt more passionate about the act of building and making.
What do you do?
I study architecture. Most of the time I'm either on SketchUp or AutoCAD working on my studio projects.
What excites you in the work you do?
What excites me the most in studying architecture is being able to see progress over time through studio projects. It’s almost like a puzzle, as we obtain new pieces of knowledge that I can apply to my work.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Local architecture firms and their works inspires me in terms of the impact that they have on the community and what I want to do in the future as an architect.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
My proudest moment was during a job interview. The interviewer asked me if one of my studio projects in my portfolio was really going to be built, and told me he would love to visit it. I wasn't able to get the position, but I was proud nonetheless.
Featured Project Name:
House-Warming
Featured Project Location:
NC
Featured Project Completion Date:
02/19/2021
Role in Featured Project:
Designer
Featured Project Description:
The House-Warming project is based on a passage from Henry Thoreau's "Walden" where he describes his ideals for a house. A humble house with a hearth where guests are able to feel welcome, provided with the freedom of the house. I made connections between his descriptions and a traditional Japanese house. I organized the spaces of the house in a grid, each square having an area of 4 1/2 tatami mats and the center square consisting of an Irori ( sunken hearth).
