MESSAGE
Architect and the Representative Director of Atelier AM Inc. (First-class Architectural Studio). Representative and CEO of HOP Group.
Kazuhiro Ishide
Graduated the School of Architecture, Hokkaido Industrial College.
In 1973, joined Fujita Koumuten and learned temple building skills.
In 1984, founded Atelier AM (First-class Architectural Studio), was joined by emerging architects and presented various quality designs across Japan.
In 1996, with the support of Forestry Agency and the prefectural government of Hokkaido, founded and fostered HOP (Housing Operation Architects Inc.), a new housing supply business encompassing the procurement of homegrown timber, lumbering, designing, and construction through collaboration.
- Awards
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Winner of 1997 Good Design Hokkaido Award Winner of the Grand Prix at the 2000 North Pacific Investment Entrepreneur Award and Northern Entrepreneur Honorable Mention (Sapporo Chamber of Commerce) Winner of the 2001 Chief of Forestry Agency Award (Wood Supply System Business of Excellence) Winner of 2006 Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award (Excellence in a Consumer-oriented Company) Winner of Environmental Special Award at 2010 Japan Venture Awards - Publications
- Author of “Photo Essay Collection: Travel of the Mind” (published in 1999), “A Book to Read before Building a House: House Doctor’s Consultation Room” (published in 2005), “The World of Kazuhiro Ishide and Atelier AM” (published in 2008 by ART BOX), and “Beautiful Japanese Residences” (published in 2014 by Gentosha).
Antique-like architecture
At HOP, we prize the skill and talent of architects who can provide harmonize modern, advanced housing features with traditional concepts of formal beauty, creating designs and plans inspired by life and translating them into finished structures. From design to installation, we take a consistent approach to the creation of our architectural works. We believe that a living space can only truly alive if it is made with the warmth and feel of genuine materials. Because we choose our materials with a discerning eye, and have the skills to work them to beautiful effect, we create buildings that are not just houses but homes. Homes that are works of art and craftsmanship. This is the architectural philosophy that guides all of our design efforts at HOP.
That desire to leave behind an object of craftsmanship and pride is lacking in today’s construction industry, where too many buildings show signs of strain just 15 years after they are erected. Will such structures have any cultural contribution to offer 50 years later? But before lamenting that culture is a thing of the past, we have to look closely at ourselves. Japan as a nation boasts one of the world’s richest traditions in architecture and the plastic arts. To bequeath those traditions to successive generations, we need to convey the timeless appeal of Japanese architecture and find ways of synthesizing it with the elegance of modern design. This is true architecture, and we believe there will always be a need for it.
At HOP, we aim to be the source for new ideas for successive generations, injecting artistic experimentation into architectural practice. Our guiding concept is the formation of architecture as art, a positive contribution to the cultural and artistic legacy of Japan.