Takehiko Nagakura is an architect from Tokyo. At MIT, he teaches courses related computer-aided design, and his research focuses on the representation and computation of architectural space and formal design knowledge. He has founded and led Architecture, Representation and Computation group (ARC) since 1996.
His recently finished building, Gushikawa Orchid Center in Okinawa, Japan has been awarded with SD Review Award (1998) and Nikkei Kyushyu District New Office Award (1999).
He is the co-author of Gendai Kenchiku no Hassou (Ideas in Contemporary Architecture)(Maruzen, 1989) and translated William J. Mitchell's the Logic of Architecture (MIT Press, 1990) into Japanese (Kajima, 1991). His essays include "Shape Recognition and Transformation" in the Electronic Design Studio, edited by William J. Mitchell, Patrick Purcell and Malcolm McCullough (MIT Press, 1990). The result of his past MIT studio courses in electronic design environment is summarized in a co-authored article, "Digital Pinup Board -- The Story of the Virtual Village Project" in Virtual Design Studio, edited by Jerzy Wojtowicz (Hong Kong Press, 1995).
Before coming to MIT in 1993, Nagakura worked for Fumihiko Maki in Tokyo, and was an instructor at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. He earned Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture from Tokyo University in 1985, Master of Architecture from Harvard University in 1987, Master of Engineering in Architecture from Tokyo University in 1988, and completed his PhD at Harvard in 1996. In 1985 he received the prestigious Ishizaka Memorial Foundation scholarship from the Japanese Federation of Economic Institutions. He is the recipient of the Japan Information Culture Society Grand Prize in 1999.