Masato Kametani. Biography. Uconn Alumni Sustainability Profile. By Adam Wesolowski

Transcription

1 Uconn Alumni Sustainability Profile Masato Kametani Biography By Adam Wesolowski

2 Masato Kametani's Overview Education Harvard University Graduate School Master of Landscape Architecture The University of Connecticut Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Landscape Architecture Experience MaYo Landscape Architects Owner/Managing Partner MaYo Landscape Architects September 2013 Present (8 months) san francisco, california Landscape Architecture Urban Design Master Planning Landscape Designer Investment Vision + Environments June 2004 August 2004 (3 months) Conceptural and Schematic Design, Graphic Design, 3D Modeling Registered Landscape Architect, Project Manager SWA Group Privately Held; employees; Architecture & Planning industry September 2000 August 2013 (13 years) Sausalito, ca Project Management, Design, Construction Administration, Budget Management

3 Introduction For this assignment we were asked to interview and write a professional profile about a Uconn alumnus who has somehow pursued a career in which sustainability and sustainable practice has played a part. I had interviewed Masato Kametani, a 2000 graduate of the Landscape Architecture program at Uconn. When he graduated, sustainability was not the central basis when thinking about design. Back then sustainability was not emphasized in the curriculum as it is today, nor did it play a role in the University. Sustainability is a new way of thinking and has only been a conscious part of Landscape Design in the past decade. After graduating from Uconn, Masato moved to California where the job market was booming and landed a job with SWA. While at SWA, he worked on many projects scattered around the US as well as a few internationally. One in particular was the DNP Itchigaya Forest, a 13.3 Acre site in Tokyo, Japan where a sustainable forest was implemented in the center of the city surrounding the Manufacturing district buildings. This project was one of the many sustainable designs Masato was a part of and was a large infuence to his perception of sustainability. After 13 years with SWA, in 2013 Masato started his own Urban Design firm MaYo Landscape Architects. Today, his firm practices sustainable design and planning around California and is based out of the San Francisco Bay area where he currently resides.

4 Interview Q Could you describe your definition of sustainability in one or two sentences? A AIn regards to the field of landscape architecture, Sustainability means, to me, that design implementations that are long lasting, easy-to-maintain (labor & cost wise), use of site specific materials, and socially and culturally valuable Q QPlease give a brief background on how your education and life experiences have influenced your attitudes toward sustainability and sustainable design. A AI don t usually think about sustainability or sustainable design necessarily when I design something to me, as soon as we alter the current condition of things; site, flow, wind pattern etc, it causes some negative impact somewhere. Sustainability is a funny word, and if we try to design a project in a such way that environmentally sustainable for example, we have to ask ourselves a question; is it still sustainable if we see the same project from different angle, such as economics, socio-cultural value, and/or political ideologies/principles? Q What, in specific, about your education at UConn developed your thinking about sustainability? A Honestly, I wasn t thinking too much about that when I was at UConn. I am sure something must have had some influences on me, but if you ask in specific, then I don t know Q How have your attitudes about sustainability informed or influenced you in your career? A My attitude influencing my career, not sure what you are trying ask but, I try not to take on projects that are not socially valuable, or the public benefits from it (directly or indirectly) this may not be so sustainable to my own practice perhaps Q What are the most important skills or contributions Landscape Architects can offer to sustainable design/lifestyle?

5 A Doing site analysis, and explaining your findings to your clients in a language that they understand and being able to digest the info and explaining how to solve their problem(s) with your design. Q What is the most important contribution that landscape architecture (or other related field) can make to environmental sustainability and sustainable development? A To think beyond the limit of work line probably think in regional scale, even if you are designing someone s backyard. I guess what I am trying to say is that we always have to be aware of environmental issues surrounding us and context around the project site. Mitigating or reducing the negative impact to the environment might be the most important contribution Q In your experiences, have you seen environmental sustainability practices used as a marketing ploy or selling point? And do you think this matters or effects the way sustainability is viewed? A Sometimes any intervention will cause some level of alterations to the site, and without truly understanding what those impacts; positive change or negative effect, are, he or she is not really doing anyone a favor Nowadays, people in general are a lot more educated about sustainability, so if designers are not doing it right, one s reputation will diminish regardless of how he or she markets their practice What I pay attention to when I am designing a project is a question; are you solving a problem? or what is the problem? Then, I try to answer that as best as I can And at the same time, I try to minimize the negative impact. With that being said, severe climate conditions we have been experiencing in the last decade or so really made me think of how to minimize damages from those heavy rain or intense winter weather or most recently, severe drought we had in California. Everything we do as a landscape architect does make some differences. From small backyard designs to new township developments, minimizing negative impact to the existing conditions or better yet improving them in well-balanced (environmentally, economically, socio-culturally, and politically speaking) way is the fundamental to my practice. Q How have your attitudes about sustainability changed over time? A It is becoming the norm since the concept of sustainability is widely accepted (or I should say acknowledged and/or required), and more and more products are available now that just 5 years ago, and make things easy for us, designers to practice sustainable solutions within constraints, like client s budget for example.

6 Q Who are your design heroes and why? A Adam and Eve!? Otherwise we won t be here today Georges-Eugène Haussmann could be it since his vision and work is the foundation of Paris, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. Q Please describe between one to three projects with which you have been involved which have incorporated sustainable design/environmental elements or concepts. A Dai Nippon Printing(DNP) Co., Ichigaya Forest Project; Re-development of DNP campus in the middle of Tokyo to create an urban forest. All planting materials are indigenous to Japan, and native to the region (based on ecological phytogeography). At the completion of the project (year 2019), there will be approximately 5 acres of urban forest with over 1,200 trees. Q Describe an iconic built project that exemplifies your ideal integration of great design and sustainability principles. A California Academy of Sciences in the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco Conclusion After interviewing Masato, I feel as though I now have an understanding of his definition of sustainability as well as his perception of the practice. In regards to Landscape Architecture Masato defines sustainability as design implementations that are long lasting, easy-to-maintain, followed by the use of site specific sustainable materials, and a design that is socially and culturally valuable He also noted that sustainability wasn t widely known or practiced until recently, but now that it is, people in general are a lot more educated about sustainability, so if designers are not doing it right, one s reputation will diminish regardless of how he or she markets their practice. One interesting point Masato mentioned was to think beyond the limit of work line and to start thinking at a regional scale with any project even if you are designing someone s backyard. He tried to get the point across that we have to be aware of environmental issues surrounding us and context around the project site. Mitigating or reducing the negative impact to the environment might be the most important contribution of the design. Based on Masato s responses, I feel as though sustainability is not only an Element used in landscape design but has now become a necessary component. Masato s Ideal design and integration of Sustainable Principles

7 California Academy of Sciences - Golden Gate Park, San Francisco