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Yamamoto, Riken
(b Beijing, 15 April 1945). Japanese architect. He graduated from Nihon University, Tokyo, in 1968, received an MA from Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music in 1971 and was a research student under Hiroshi Hara at the University of Tokyo from 1971 to 1973. He opened his own office, Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop, in 1973 in Tokyo. Yamamoto joined Hara in the latter’s field surveys of villages in various countries and this experience may account for his design approach, which might be best described as ‘topological’. His works, which are primarily residential, are not notable for any stylistic consistency, yet they all demonstrate a concern for the way spatial arrangements symbolize family relationships, and Yamamoto used unconventional means to delineate different functional areas such as public and private. The modern Japanese city is seen as an increasingly hostile environment, and Yamamoto’s urban houses depend on internal courtyards and rooftop terraces for breathing space. Examples of his work include the Yamamoto house (1978), Fujii house (1982), and Rotunda (1987), all in Yokohama, the Kubota house (1978) in Tokyo, and the Ishii house (1978) in Kawasaki. Rotunda, a mixed-use building with the owner’s flat on top, has a distinctive large canopy with a delicate steel-frame structure and a cover of Teflon fibre and polyester.
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