Rate My Professor Kotaro Nakamura

Nakamura's research interests center on improving the well-being of people and the environment to foster resilience, encompassing disaster relief, recovery, and prevention; resilient design adapted to upper Midwest climates, including mass timber for tornado-resistant housing; sustainable communities; and energy- and water-efficient architecture. He has directed prominent projects such as the Japanese Friendship Garden Inamori Pavilion and Botanical Building restoration at Balboa Park in San Diego, the reconstruction of the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, flood replacement housing in New Orleans, housing for fire-destroyed homes in the southwest U.S., and tsunami relief in Japan. Nakamura has lectured and published extensively on disaster recovery design, Japanese aesthetics, and sustainable architecture and design. Among his accolades are multiple American Institute of Architects (AIA) Design Awards, the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from San Diego AIA, and honors from the Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada, Center for Sustainable Energy, and American Public Works Association. He teaches a range of interior design courses emphasizing experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration and holds memberships in AIA, the National Organization of Minority Architects, and the U.S. Green Building Council, with past board service for the Ilan Lael Foundation, San Diego-Yokohama Sister City Society, and San Diego Model Railroad Museum.