Mutsumi Nogami
From building architecture to nurturing through architecture
First-class architect / MIRAI CRAFT First-Class Architect Office
Founder of the Kids Architect Class / MIRAI Architecture Juku / MIRAI Architecture Academia
Profile Profile
Mutsumi Nogami
First-class architect / MIRAI CRAFT First-Class Architect Office
Founder of the Kids Architect Class / MIRAI Architecture Juku / MIRAI Architecture Academia
From Kochi Prefecture.
Base:
Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture
Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture
Philosophy Philosophy
Architecture begins with people. Architecture = people.
Under the concept of architecture × people, architecture is not something that creates spaces but something that shapes people. When children encounter architecture, they can nurture self-expression, social skills, and creativity all at once, and we believe this allows children's futures to expand richly.
As a first-class architect, I continue, together with children, an activity that nurtures their sensibility and learning through architecture.
Career Career / Biography
- 1993
- Graduated from the Department of Residential Environment, Kagawa Polytechnic College
- December 1995
- Obtained second-class architect license
- March 2000
- Became independent after working at three architecture firms, founding "@Home Architecture Office"
- January 2002
- Obtained first-class architect license
- October 2007
- Appointed director of the NPO My Theater Takamatsu
- October 2011 – May 2020
- Chairperson of the NPO My Theater Takamatsu
- August 2011 – August 2021
- Committee member, Takamatsu City After-School Children's Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee
- August 2012 – February 2013
- Committee member, Takamatsu City Universal Design Basic Guidelines Roundtable
- November 2014 – March 2024
- Takamatsu City Social Education Committee member
- October 2017
- Launched the current "Kids Architect Class"
- August 2021
- Began the collaboration between Benesse Art Site and the Kids Architect Class (Naoshima)
- March 2022
- Renamed to "MIRAI CRAFT First-Class Architect Office"
- March 2023
- Instructor at Benesse Corporation Mirai Campus
Member of the Benesse Corporation 300-Person Committee for Designing the Learning of the Future - June – July 2025
- Lecturer at Benesse Senior High School
- August 2025
- Launched MIRAI Architecture Juku; began university admission support
- April 2026
- Reorganized and expanded into MIRAI Architecture Juku and MIRAI Architecture Academia
Programs Representative Programs
Kids Architect Class
Held across Japan and online. Through floor planning, model making, spatial analysis, and more, this is a class where children from preschoolers to high school students learn and experience architecture.
Comprehensive Selection Preparation Course (for high school students)
A one-year program for high school students aiming to enter architecture universities, nurturing the skills needed for the comprehensive selection (formerly AO admissions). Through architectural thinking, expression, and portfolio creation, students find "their own axis" that comes alive in statements of purpose and interviews. It also includes support for taking on architecture competitions.
Building a Secret Base with Newspaper
A hands-on assembly experience using a fuller-dome structure. Through space-making and structural understanding, it nurtures teamwork and creativity.
Building a Big Town with ita Blocks
A program in which children use original blocks to freely arrange roads and buildings and collaboratively build a "big town." Participants experience an urban-planning perspective, layout thinking, and collaborative making.
Events Event Track Record
Building a Secret Base with Newspaper
- July 2024
- Tochigi
- October 2024
- Tokyo
- November 2024
- Fukuoka
- January 2025
- Osaka, Hyogo
- February 2025
- Aichi
- April 2025
- Shizuoka, Osaka
- May 2025
- Takamatsu, Kanagawa, Tokyo
- August 2025
- Ishikawa
- November 2025
- Tokyo, Kanagawa
- December 2025
- Kagawa
- January 2026
- Sendai
- March 2026
- Hiroshima, Aichi
- April 2026
- Kagawa
- May 2026
- Tokyo
Building a Big Town with ita Blocks
- August 2025
- Fukuoka
Other Workshops
In addition, many events held in various locations, including pasta bridges and traveling architecture experiences.
Collaboration Track Record with Partner Organizations and Educational Institutions
- January 2024
- Tokyo — Held a town-making event at Benesse Corporation
- February 2024
- Kagawa Prefecture — Space-making experience at "Rainbow Room," organized by the Takamatsu City Board of Education
- July 2024
- Tokyo — Participated in the Benesse Corporation Mirai Campus event
- December 2024
- United States — Online architecture experience course
- February 2025
- Kagawa Prefecture — Held the "Let's Build a Big Town" event with the Town Planning Division of Utazu Town Hall
- February 2025
- Tokyo — Architecture experience course at the free school "Narahara no Mori Nakano Gakusha"
- February 2025
- Tokyo — Two-day online architecture experience course at Rissho High School, Benesse Corporation
- March 2025
- Kochi Prefecture — Architecture experience course at the free school "Tosa Free School"
- March 2025
- Kagawa Prefecture — Architecture experience course at the after-school childcare facility "Haru Club"
- March 2025
- Osaka — Participated in an event at the Knowledge Capital Workshop Fes
- April 2025
- Shizuoka Prefecture — Architecture experience course at the after-school childcare facility "Tedanofa"
- April 2025
- United States — Online architecture experience course
- June – July 2025
- Lecturer at Benesse Senior High School
- July 2025
- Osaka — Participated in an event at the Knowledge Capital Workshop Fes
- September 2025
- Kagawa Prefecture — Newspaper dome at the Ritsurin Oyaji Juku
- December 2025
- Kagawa Prefecture — Architecture experience course at the after-school childcare facility "Haru Club"
- January 2026
- Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture — Architecture experience course at the Kuriu Aoba Nursery School children's cafeteria
- April 2026
- Taiwan, New Taipei City — Children from Zhonggang Elementary School visited Japan for an architecture experience course in Naoshima and Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture
In addition, ongoing educational activities approached through architecture, in cooperation with educational settings and private organizations across Japan.
Partner Organizations
Benesse Corporation Mirai Campus / 300-Person Committee for Designing the Learning of the Future / Benesse Art Site Naoshima / Princeton Japanese Association (USA) / Knowledge Capital / Zhonggang Elementary School, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Media Publications and Media Appearances
Publications
Featured on Kenzai Navi / Selected for SumaiRing ARCHITECT
Featured in "Bunka Takamatsu" (published by the Takamatsu City Cultural Association), Vol. 83 (published July 2024)
Featured in the Shikoku Shimbun column "Ano Hito Kono Hito" (February 2026)
Media Appearances
Monthly regular appearance on RNC Radio's "Hana Radio" (3rd Friday, from 13:00)
Sharing about children and architecture, creative learning, and connections with the local community.
Vision Future Vision
Going forward, I want to further strengthen collaboration with educational institutions and public facilities across Japan to deliver "places to learn through architecture" to even more children, while advancing new initiatives to nurture the architects of the future.
Contact Inquiries and consultations via the official LINE
Please feel free to contact us with questions about our programs, or for interview and lecture requests.
Official LINE: https://lin.ee/vSLPaQHT(opens in a new tab)
Contact via LINE (opens in a new tab)