Architecture that Mirrors Nature

Exploring the relationship between natural environment, local industry, and architecture — designing spaces that transcend scale. Based in Kyoto.

Architecture that Mirrors Nature

Keihoku, Kyoto, Japan
Master's Thesis / Timber Warehouse
2026
Master ThesisTimberKeihoku

The Ephemeral House

Espoo, Finland
Competition / Space
2024
CompetitionInstallation

KIDE

Kuhmo, Finland
Wood Program / Outdoor Stage
2024
BuiltTimberGroup

WINDOW-SCOPE

Aichi, Japan
Competition / Rest Room
2025
CompetitionArchitecture

Bird Station

Tokyo, Japan
Diploma / Complex
2022
DiplomaUrbanEcosystem

Solar Ring

Orbetello, Italy
Competition / Observatory
2021
CompetitionLandscapeGroup

Re-thinking Machiya Ruins

Kyoto, Japan
2022
RenovationHousingMachiya

Hotel a la carte

Tokyo, Japan
Competition / Hotel
2022
CompetitionHousingGroup

Light

Kyoto, Japan
School Festival / Pavilion
2019
BuiltPavilionGroup

About

Born in Mie, Japan, 2000. After studying abroad at Aalto University (Finland), completed a Master's degree at Kyoto Institute of Technology (2026). Working across housing, pavilions, installations, and art, with a focus on the coexistence of natural environment, local industry, and architecture.

Skills
Rhinoceros / Grasshopper / Archicad
Twinmotion / Lumion / SketchUp
Vectorworks / AutoCAD
Illustrator / Photoshop / Indesign
Education
Kyoto Institute of Technology, M.Arch (2026)
Aalto University (2023)
Kyoto Institute of Technology, B.Arch (2022)
Awards
Master's Thesis Excellence Award — KIT2026
Tokyo Architecture Collection — Finalist, Jury Award2026
Architizer A+Awards — Popular Choice winner2025
JIA Tokai Branch Design Competition — 2nd prize2024
Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation — Selection2023
Graduation Design Excellence Award — KIT2022

Contact

For project inquiries, collaborations,
and press or publication requests.

kota.kwkm@gmail.com
+81-80-3674-0598
Kyoto, Japan
Architecture that Mirrors Nature
Architecture that Mirrors Nature

Architecture that Mirrors Nature

Keihoku, Kyoto, Japan
Master's Thesis / Timber Warehouse

2026

How can local industries and techniques be passed on to future generations in regions facing population decline? This proposal explores architectural approaches that respect enduring local practices while giving the present new value.

By re-recognizing wood scraps generated during timber production as a distinctive feature of the local industry and utilizing them as building materials, the project expresses the identity of the place through space. A warehouse for drying and storing timber is proposed using a structure that embraces the irregular shapes produced by standardized lumber.

過疎化する里山地域において、土地に根差した産業と技術をいかに未来へと継承していくか。本提案は、これまで続けられてきた地域の営みを尊重しつつ、現在に対して新たな価値を纏わせる建築のあり方を探るものである。

木材の生産過程で必然的に生じる端材を地域産業の特色として捉え直し、建築資材として積極的に活用することで、その土地のアイデンティティを空間として表現する。規格化された製材から生まれる歪な形をそのまま受け入れる架構によって、木材を乾燥・保管するための倉庫を計画した。

Cooperation

Models — R.Toyama, S.Morikawa, S.Kawata, T.Ichimura

Fieldwork — S.Takamuro

Timber Supply — Tanaka Sawmill

Photographs — K.Masuda, R.Toyama, S.Kurisu, S.Sasaki, Kyoto Design Lab

The Ephemeral House
The Ephemeral House

The Ephemeral House

Espoo, Finland
Competition / Space

2024

A spatial installation exploring the boundary between permanence and transience in domestic space. The project investigates how temporary structures can embody the qualities of home through material, light, and atmosphere.

KIDE
KIDE

KIDE

Kuhmo, Finland
Wood Program / Outdoor Stage

2024

An outdoor performance stage built in the forests of Kuhmo, Finland, as part of an international wood construction program. KIDE — meaning "crystal" in Finnish — draws its geometry from the crystalline structure of ice and timber joints, creating a stage that belongs to both the landscape and the act of gathering.

フィンランド・クフモの森の中に建てられた野外ステージ。国際木材構法プログラムの一環として制作された。フィンランド語で「結晶」を意味するKIDEは、氷と木材の接合部の結晶構造からジオメトリーを導き、風景と人々の集いの場に帰属するステージを創り出している。

WINDOW-SCOPE
WINDOW-SCOPE

WINDOW-SCOPE

Aichi, Japan
Competition / Rest Room

2025

A rest room proposal that transforms the act of pausing into a spatial experience of framing. Windows are calibrated to capture specific views of the landscape, turning the mundane into a moment of contemplation.

Bird Station
Bird Station

Bird Station

Tokyo, Japan
Diploma / Complex

2022

A diploma project proposing a new urban typology that reimagines the relationship between migratory birds and the city. Bird Station creates a hybrid ecosystem — part infrastructure, part habitat — embedded within Tokyo's rail network.

渡り鳥と都市の関係を再考し、新たな都市タイポロジーを提案する卒業設計。Bird Stationは、東京の鉄道網に埋め込まれた、インフラと生息地のハイブリッドなエコシステムを創出する。

Solar Ring
Solar Ring

Solar Ring

Orbetello, Italy
Competition / Observatory

2021

A solar observatory proposed for the lagoon landscape of Orbetello. The ring form traces the path of the sun across the horizon, creating a meditative space where architecture and celestial mechanics become inseparable.

Re-thinking Machiya Ruins
Re-thinking Machiya Ruins

Re-thinking Machiya Ruins

Kyoto, Japan
Renovation / Housing

2022

A renovation study exploring the potential of deteriorated machiya townhouses in Kyoto. Rather than erasing traces of time, the project embraces ruined elements as the foundation for a new spatial language.

京都の老朽化した町家のリノベーション研究。時の痕跡を消し去るのではなく、廃墟化した要素を新たな空間言語の基盤として取り込む。

Hotel a la carte
Hotel a la carte

Hotel a la carte

Tokyo, Japan
Competition / Hotel

2022

A hotel competition proposal exploring the idea of customizable inhabitation. Guests assemble their own spatial program from a menu of modular room types — sleeping, bathing, dining, working — each designed as a distinct architectural element.

Light
Light

Light

Kyoto, Japan
School Festival / Pavilion

2019

A temporary pavilion built for a university school festival, exploring the phenomenology of filtered light. Constructed collaboratively by students, the structure uses layered translucent panels to create gradients of shadow and luminosity.

大学祭のために建てられた仮設パビリオン。学生たちが協力して建設し、半透明パネルの積層によって光と影のグラデーションを生み出す。