Maekawa Kunio

Maekawa Kunio

(born May 14, 1905, Niigata-shi, Japan—died June 27, 1986, Tokyo) Japanese architect. Maekawa worked as a drafter for Le Corbusier in Paris and for Antonin Raymond in Tokyo. In early works, such as Hinamoto Hall (1936) and the Dairen Town Hall (1938), he tried to counteract the pompous style of the Japanese imperialist regime. In the 1950s he continued to work primarily in the Brutalist style of Le Corbusier (see Brutalism). Buildings such as the Educational Centre in Fukushima (1955) and the Harumi flats and the Setagaya Community Centre, both in Tokyo (1959), reflect his efforts to use concrete in a manner appropriate to the material. His community centres influenced Tange Kenzo, who started out in Maekawa's office.